THOUSANDS of villagers will find some of their rubbish is only collected once every two weeks as part of a major recycling initiative.From April 12,000 homes in 29 villages in mid Suffolk will have two bins provided free, one for recyclable material and one for other household waste, as part of the £725,000 scheme funded partly by the Government.
THOUSANDS of villagers will find some of their rubbish is only collected once every two weeks as part of a major recycling initiative.
From April 12,000 homes in 29 villages in mid Suffolk will have two bins provided free, one for recyclable material and one for other household waste, as part of the £725,000 scheme funded partly by the Government. Recyclable waste will be collected one week and non-recyclable waste the following week.
A Mid Suffolk District Council spokeswoman said that residents consulted on the plans did not want to face an £80 to £90 council tax jump to pay for weekly collections of all rubbish, hence the fortnightly alternative collections.
The scheme comes with 2,800 householders receiving questionnaires and 85 per cent satisfied with the proposed scheme. Only 5% were undecided and 5% dissatisfied.
"To make it easier for residents to recycle, Mid Suffolk District Council is introducing a new recycling scheme called TwinBin Recycling. The drivers for this change are the Government set targets for the district to recycle 16% in 2004, rising to 24% in 2006.
She added: "An alternate weekly collection costs much less than having two collections in the same week. The Government's spending watchdog recommends this approach and we believe it will be successful.''
John Prigg, a parish councillor at Haughley near Stowmarket, which is one of the villages being used as a pilot for the scheme said: "Wheelie bins are a good idea, recycling is a good idea, but my concern is smells and possible contamination from rotting food, with flies getting in there. The mind boggles.
"By the end of a fortnight, especially in the summer, it's going to contain rotten food. That's not good for anyone's environment.''
Leaflets about the new system are being sent to villages involved on January 15.
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