New garden waste scheme will have unforeseen consequences

As a keen gardener I was intrigued to know what it was all about. I read that if I pay £25 a year to Rother the Council will continue to collect my garden waste.

I thought of course that the collection of recyclables was covered in the Council tax I paid, but no longer is that to be the case.

Rother is struggling to balance its books and is seeking every way possible to take more money from us taxpayers.

Whether this is the best way to do it is a mute point.

I read I will be supplied with a 240 litre brown bin for my garden waste, but I shall be allowed to retain my 240 litre green bin which can be used for cardboard.

I shall be putting out two giant bins in my narrow entrance plus two boxes for the recyclables.

The green bin will perhaps only have a couple of cereal boxes and Aunt Maud’s empty box of chocolates, but nevertheless that is what I must do! What a silly nonsense this is!

Why on earth cannot we keep the system as it is and pay, if we have to, the annual £25 to Rother.

Those who do not require a green bin for garden waste can have the bin removed by the Council.

If one day bottles and jars are to be collected, as is likely if more recyclables are to be collected, a brown box would suffice instead of an extra wheelie bin.

Are my half dozen wine bottles and jam jars to join my little pile of cardboard in the 240 litre green bin?

To fill the bin I would have to be an alcoholic, or perhaps I have to wait until it is full, and then struggle with the weight to get it down the entrance steps to join the 240 litre brown garden waste bin?

A further thought occurred to me. There are many on low incomes who are struggling at the moment to pay their energy bills and household essentials.

Those people will not wish to add £25 extra to their expenses and rather than have a brown wheelie bin might prefer to take their waste to one of the recycling centres despite the inconvenience and petrol costs.

Sadly I am almost sure we shall see more fly tipping? More costs to dispose of that!

Well, I must do what I am told to do I suppose and pay my £25, but wonders whether Rother has really thought out the consequences of this new system?

Granville Bantick

Rye Town Councillor