Sending rubbish for incineration would undermine environmental goals
Councillors have voted not to reinstate a weekend bulky waste service in an effort to maintain record recycling rates in Tonbridge and Malling.
The Saturday service, which has been suspended since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, allowed residents to drop a range of large items into bin lorries at 55 locations around the borough.
Prior to its suspension, nearly 6,000 tonnes of waste had been collected by the service over the five years from 2016. As it was not possible to sort the rubbish, everything apart from electrical items had to be sent for incineration rather than recycling.
A report to councillors said reintroducing the service would have a negative impact on the borough’s current recycling rate, which according to latest government figures is the highest in Kent. The report also noted the staffing requirement for 10 HGV drivers to operate the service and that a £9,000 per year subsidy from KCC had been withdrawn following the opening of a recycling centre at Allington in May 2022.
The council’s bookable bulky waste collection service will be maintained. Cabinet members gave their backing to further reducing the fee to households eligible for council tax reduction from £17 to £12 from 1 October 2022. The current standard fee is £58 for collection of up to six items.
The council’s cabinet member for Technical and Waste Services, Cllr Piers Montague, said: ‘‘This was a difficult decision but faced with the facts on the service’s environmental impact, a vote to reinstate this service would be a vote to reverse our improving recycling rates. Sending thousands of tonnes of rubbish for incineration when much of it could be repurposed, goes against our belief in doing everything we can to minimise the impact of waste.
‘Our borough is now well served with weekly kerbside collections, recycling centres and a bookable bulky service. By continuing to invest in these areas, I’m confident we can build on our strong track record of ensuring as much of our rubbish as possible is dealt with in an environmentally friendly way.’
The decision to end the service was taken by Cabinet on 7 September 2022. See the decision notice