Government demands food waste collection without funding

The Labour Government is attempting to force councils to collect a third bin, specifically for food waste, that must be collected separately from all other forms of household waste. However, they are providing no funding for this service.

Many councils plan well into the future when commissioning waste contracts but this is an additional piece of legislation that the government is pushing through without checking with councils what the state of their existing contracts are. The Labour Government will not be providing any assistance or monetary funding to support councils with this additional collection. Following conversations with Shropshire Council's waste management provider, the expected additional cost looks to be £3.6 million per year. 

Despite Shropshire Council's improving financial picture, following a new Lib Dem budget, there is not £3.6 million currently going spare and as such, without support, the Government's new demands will seriously harm the future of the council.

Shropshire Council Leader Heather Kidd said: "Shropshire Council is in a far better position financially despite 16 years of Conservative mismanagement but that does not mean we're completely out of the woods. The Government's lack of support and the expense of the roll out of this additional collection across such a vast geographical area could sink the council and undo all the hard decisions made and good work done by this Liberal Democrat administration".