Essex council to spend £36k on researching if residents want wheelie bins

A bin lorry
-Credit:Steve Parsons/PA Wire


Council bosses are proposing to spend a further £36,000 on research and another consultation on whether to change how bin collections work in part of Essex, including possibly bringing in wheelie bins. Castle Point Council also says changing how it collects waste is necessary as the fleet of vehicles it uses is “ageing and needs replacement.”

The authority is proposing changes to how all waste is collected and says the system needs “modernisation” and that “failure” to act “will impact the quality and resilience of the service.”

At a cabinet meeting next Wednesday (January 22), the council is set to agree to spend £21,000 to fund the analysis of options for waste containers and £15,000 for another round of public consultation. The council held a consultation last year from September to November, with bosses saying they were facing “significant challenges and pressure to transform.” A range of options are being considered, including wheeled bins for both non-recyclable and dry-mixed recyclable waste.

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Documents for next week's meeting state: “The council’s waste fleet is ageing and is in need of replacement; the specification for the replacement vehicles is inherently linked to the future kerbside collection model.

"This is because containerised kerbside collection, using a wheeled bin, requires a different type of vehicle to kerbside waste that is not containerised.

"Therefore, the council need to take a decision on the options for kerbside collection before vehicles can be purchased to replace the current ageing fleet. The waste collection and recycling service is in need of modernisation in terms of its operational working needs.

"There is a risk that failure to respond to these challenges will impact the quality and resilience of the service. This represents a reputational risk to the council should the waste and recycling service fail to respond to or meet the needs of residents.”