Dominic Grieve, MP for Beaconsfield, writes:
THERE are some things which people seem either to love or to hate: reality TV shows, rice pudding, begonias, wheelie bins…
The collection of domestic, non-recyclable waste, once a fortnight, is something which has caused concern to individual constituents and which has been the subject of sustained media campaigns.
MPs on the Communities and Local Government Select Committee decided to scrutinise these concerns. After all, as they said in their final report, every household is entitled to a domestic waste collection and everyone has an opinion on how the collection should be carried out.
I know that some constituents have told me they worry about health concerns if there is a fortnightly collection of domestic waste. Rats, flies, maggots and unpleasant smells can result if waste is only taken away every other week. A major piece of research based on Wycombe District Council in our county concluded that risks to health are not increased.
What the MPs have called for is more research into public health aspects.
They have also said they think the alternative collection is not appropriate in every location.
One of the facts which the committee unearthed was that each household throws away about one third of all the food purchased. If, once a year, someone went out to the bin and threw away £400, I think we would wonder what was going on. But that, in effect, is what the average family is doing!
Quite apart from the monetary cost, when food waste breaks down in landfill, it creates methane gas. This is just as harmful as the CO2 emissions about which we are rightly very worried.
So, whether constituents love or hate the wheelie bin, I hope everyone will consider the virtues of reducing the amount of household waste which is generated.
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