Forum Topic

Garden Waste collection from April 2012

I have just received the new Streetwatcher News from Ealing council with a not welcoming article on the front pageGarden WasteThe council is introducing a chargeable garden waste service from the 1st of April 2012 Subscribers will pay a £40.00 annual fee to have their garden waste collected from their home every two weeks Resident will be able to choose from a wheelie bin or reusable sacks with home on red routes using biodegradable sacks ( 50 sacks for £40.00 )Not an increase in our council tax this year but a disguised one as far as I can see.....Thoughts?

Philippe Bruyer ● 5440d66 Comments

Hi Philippe.  Looks like a no brainer as the bags work out as a more flexible option. Given most of us have a large amount of garden waste on an infrequent basis, I suspect the bags make more sense as you could fill say 5 bags once you do a good prune and then use the rest as and when you like - as opposed to having a single bin that can only  emptied once every two weeks.Agree with you it's a back door way to charge us more. Isn't council tax charged using a valuation of the property in order to determine the band? I'm assuming the size of the plot will contribute to the "valuation of property", so if you have a bigger garden you are already paying higher council tax - might be wrong on this point and happy to be corrected.Cheers, Carl

Carl Tamboli ● 5440d

Always thought garden waste was included in the council tax.I wonder how many will just put grass cuttings in the black bag and, then dump it somewhere else.It takes me a year to fill the pink sack, so this a no brainer.  How many more stealth taxes are this lot going to invent just to fleece us?Tax on growing herbs, or something just as stupid!

Nicola Howard ● 5440d

Not compulsory to pay this £40.00 backdoor tax is it?

Ellie Rose ● 5439d

Can anyone clarify: do we have to buy 50 biodegradable sacks or can we buy fewer? They're quite bulky and although they need to be replaced from time to time I can't imagine I would need more than 10 per year.

Clare Gittins ● 5439d

I hope not - I don't have a garden!I'm not sure how stealthy this charge could be deemed, given that it's already been the subject of one lengthy - and emotive - thread in this very organ. In any event, there's no disguising the cause, which is the very significant reduction in the council's income over this and the next three years. It's not generally understood that the council tax receipts historically only represent about a quarter of the council's income; the rest comes in direct grants from central government. As part of the general programme of cuts, those grants are being reduced by unprecedented amounts year on year during this parliament; the total planned reduction is roughly equivalent to the total sum raised in the council tax - about 25% of the council's income.So when the council sets its budgets at the moment, it's not deciding whether or not to reduce them, it's simply cutting its cloth to reflect what it already knows will be a lower income. That means ceasing services and/or charging for things that currently are provided without separate charge: it's a basic law of politics in such circumstances that you're going to upset someone. Around 75% of council expenditure traditionally goes directly on education and social services - services that the council either has a statutory obligation to provide, or which we as citizens expect it to provide for reasons of moral decency. All of which means that these savings can't all be found through soft targets, reducing bureaucracy (ie sacking people) etc; some of it has to be raised by means that wouldn't be contemplated if times were better, if only for reasons of popularity.It therefore doesn't surprise me that the garden waste service has been chosen in this way: the charges won't be popular, but it's a service enjoyed by only part of the community, and other choices are even worse. One might say the council's between a rockery and a hard place (I'll get my coat...)

Steve Donnelly ● 5439d

True, garden collection will only be needed by part of the community but that will be true for many charges,e.g I don't have children but pay towards schooling, child maintenance etc etc in my council tax, but I do have a garden and have to pay extra for the priviledge!, is that really fair?

Miriam Kerketta ● 5439d

Has anyone noticed, that every time we have a Labour council, they always devise more dastardly stealth taxation than any other council?  Still only two and a half years to go.  I wonder what's next, a tax on jelly babies?

Nicola Howard ● 5439d

Steve, I agree with what you say.I guess the majority of us have the option of going down to the local skip and dumping rubbish in there. If this helps the council to save the money they clearly are under huge pressure to save, then I think it's a burden most of us can live with.Carl

Carl Tamboli ● 5439d

I'm glad they've done this and agree with Steve too.Money needs to be saved and this is a reasonable way to do it.

Sarah Harris ● 5439d

SteveYou have captured well what is happening with local government finances here. The cuts though from central government will not be as high as the amount collected in council tax, it will be a good deal lower, but the cuts are steep none the less. The council has less money coming in and still has bills to pay, so it needs to cut some services and raise more income at the same time to balance the books. I don't agree that this is the right way to go. The council underspent by £9m in the last financial year. They have allocated £5m for a car park in Southall without proving the need. They have allocated £1m for shorter desks in Perceval house, £6m on ICT upgrades in the council, bought the YMCA building behind the cinema in Ealing for almost £2m, and it is still empty,There are more people working for the council now earning over £50k pa than there was in May 2010. This council is spending an awful lot on itself, then cutting services to the people who pay the bills. This change in the garden waste collections will cost the best part of £700k to introduce. It is not guaranteed to save money because the figures assume that everyone who uses the pink sacks will agree to pay £40 pa to have their garden waste collected every two weeks for 11 months of the year. This is a poorly thought through plan as it will reduce recycling, increase flytipping, as people will choose to put their garden waste out in black sacks as they did before and it won't get collected, so it becomes a flytip. The first thing they need to do is stop wasting money. Then if they need to cut services, it will be an easier sell to the people who pay the bills, the council taxpayer.

Colm Costello ● 5439d

Though Colm articulately raises some challenging points to this debate.Carl

Carl Tamboli ● 5439d

I think that they have probably overestimated the number of people who feel flush enough to hand over £40 for a service they so rarely use (or only use because they are too lazy to compost or to visit Stirling Road). Many of those flush enough to pay will probably use a commercial company to cut their hedges and will/could pay them anyway to have their garden waste removed.If it is going to be a fortnightly service then expect to find bags of garden waste on the streets for weeks on end as people get the week to put it out wrong...It is a shame that they don't seem to have the ***** to tackle the issue of those who still think recycling is difficult and make recycling (of some recyclates) in this borough compulsory - as they have done in many other London boroughs. In other boroughs the residents voted for compulsory recycling as a way to reduce the landfill tax that the Council has to pay.  It would be good to see more effort going into waste minimisation.As Miriam says there are many other Council services that one doesn't necessarily use but we all still pay for. Why does this feel like blackmail again?Better stop before I say why I think so!

Philippa Bond ● 5439d

I for one will NOT be using this service....flush or otherwise and I know my immediate neighbours will not either.We will take it in turns to cart it down to the tip !!

Ellie Rose ● 5439d

And of course many people will put green waste into black refuse bags, which will be taken away free and end up in landfill (increasing landfil tax charges payable by the council). Or the really shameless ones will fly tip the stuff, with the consequent clear up costs. This idea has really not been thought through.

Vlod Barchuk ● 5439d

I think sharing is a great way of dealing with it.You can also take advantage of reduced price composters etc from the Council: http://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/200489/recycling_rubbish_and_waste/289/compostingIf you are interested in wormeries then the company I got my last one from now has a facebook page where people ask questions and get answers to any problems they may have - a bit like what was happening on this forum some time ago.  As more people do it I think it is getting easier to find info.

Philippa Bond ● 5438d

Steve,You have not got your numbers quite right.  The council is losing about 28% of its main grant.  This though only represents about 12.5% of its overall income which includes council tax and fees and charges (everything from charges for cricket pitches through social care and parking, not to mention the new £40 garden tax).  The current administration is being actively dishonest when it talks about £85 million "cuts".  It is making savings of £85 million which cover loss of grant, but also new growth items of their own, interest on new borrowing and inflation.  With the new waste and grounds maintenance contract the council has saved £3.5 million but they are taking another £1 million bite by making garden waste chargeable. 

Phil Taylor ● 5438d

The reality will be that everyone will put their garden waste into black bags (hidden of course - little by little)and it will be taken away by the refuse crews and sent to landfill.A silly scheme - not well thought out - as the black bag waste will increase, and thus the landfill tax charges.It will be interesting to see the tonnage figures before and after the new scheme is introduced.  Vlod perhaps you can get hold of them and brief us?

Dee Cook ● 5436d

Did you see the Dispatches programme?  (9 days left)  The Welsh 'black residual waste bags' are see-through!

Philippa Bond ● 5435d

Others use clear bags for recycling and split back vehicles - but refuse collectors get confused and all the bags can be put in the landfill side of the vehicle.  Nothing is fool proof.I suspect that the garden waste system was too successful and it was costing the Council too much to operate it.Surely there would be someone out there who would collect garden waste for free in an electric vehicle, process it and then sell it to residents - by way of delivering to your door.  A nice little business perhaps?

Dee Cook ● 5435d

The Welsh Council shown on the film had a collection system similar to ours but also had see-through residual bags so that anything that shuold have been recycled would be visible.  You wouldn't be able to hide your garden waste in there.I understood they were selling the type of lorry which takes plastic one side and garden waste the other.It is cheaper to compost green waste than it is to landfill it. Even cheaper if people compost their own.Plastic bottles and aluminium cans have a high value.I think it is time that we had non-working small electrical goods collected.  Hounslow have this service.

Philippa Bond ● 5435d

Phillipe,In order to get this change debated properly at the next full council meeting on 13th December the Conservatives have launched a petition:"We support waste reduction and recycling; and believe it should be kept free and weekly. Therefore we demand that Ealing's Labour Council abandons its plans: •  to impose an annual £40 garden waste tax and to collect garden waste fortnightly•  to withdraw the white sacks for plastics recycling collection•  for the option in the contract to collect waste and recyclables fortnightlyWe believe that these changes will increase fly tipping, reduce the rates of recycling and alienate the very people whose support is needed."If you want to sign follow this link:  http://ealing-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/petitions/keep_recycling_free__weekly_2

Phil Taylor ● 5435d

PhilI may not be the most economically literate person in the world, but I know that a reduction in a future budget is a reduction, however it's achieved. We all know some can be found more easily than others, but the great majority of these savings are anything but paper exercises. The only 'active dishonesty' going on here is the tedious misrepresentation by the local Tory group of the unprecedented scale of the cuts your chum Eric ("I was eating as a private person") Pickles has imposed. Language such as "taking a bite" presents a deliberately misleading impression of a local authority either rolling in cash, or levying charges for callous amusement, rather than - as is the case - scrambling to plug a huge hole in the finances caused by your government ("only" 12.5%? that's all right then; a mere bagatelle.) I'm not at all sure I agree your basis of calculation, but I do know that, once one excludes the huge range of services the council has a statutory obligation to provide (such as schools and social services), the impact of even your own figure on remaining services is greatly increased. No administration - Tory or Labour - would re-introduce charging (it hasn't always been free, and it's not in Magna Carta that it should be) in normal circumstances, because it would consider the political heat not worth the revenue: if anyone still believes these are normal circumstances, wake up and watch the news. Call it a tax if you will (and I'm sure you will), but the fact is that a range of options are to be available, including opting-out entirely and taking things to the dump oneself, free of charge.Either this department of the council does its share to make the books balance, or that responsibility falls on another department. Fortunately for you (and the community), you don't have to make the hard decisions, and can amuse yourselves seeking to wind-up anyone and everyone affected.

Steve Donnelly ● 5434d

Thanks for the link, I've added myself to the petition. Fingers crossed.

Miriam Kerketta ● 5434d

Steve,The local Tories have not been misrepresenting the scale of the cuts in Ealing we have merely tried to put them in context.  It was after all Labour’s Liam Byrne who told us that there was no money left.  Every time I have commented on this topic I have carefully used references to underpin my statements.  If you can quote one episode of misrepresentation I would be happy to apologise for it and take the offender to task (if it isn't me!).  I look forward to you accepting my challenge.  I have explained that the council has already taken a £3.5 million saving out of this area by re-letting the contract (the previous contract was let to a contractor that had an Ealing Labour councillor as its chief exec so maybe no surprise that there was some room to give!).  Just because a service is statutory does not mean it can't be done more efficiently.  There are lots of changes that could be made that do not blow back on frontline services the way that this one does.  Many residents would look in askance at the council providing a budget of £250K for union facility time.  I showed only last week how the council has only shaved its £10 million budget for senior managers by 7.7% over the last year whilst halving park rangers and envirocrime officers.  You lose your audience at the end when you start throwing out cheap insults rather than arguments. 

Phil Taylor ● 5434d

Is there any easier way to add one's name to that petition?I typed in the link mentioned but got the nessage that it could not be found!

Jean F Fernandez ● 5434d

Jean,Sorry that it didn't work for you.  I just tested it and it is fine.  Don't type.  Copy and paste!http://ealing-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/petitions/keep_recycling_free__weekly_2I will e-mail a version you can print out and whizz around your neighbours.  Phil

Phil Taylor ● 5434d

Just for information, In the twelve months before we abolished the garden waste charges in 2007, the council collected 1,722 tonnes of garden waste. In the 12 months after we abolished the charges for garden waste the council collected 3,496 tonnes of garden waste. We also at the same time started collecting it weekly. When you make it easy for people to recycle, and don't charge extra, people participate. When you make it harder and charge for it, fewer people particiapte. Expect the amount of garden waste recycled after the charge is introduced to go down and the amount sent to landfill to go up, plus the amount of flytips to go up too, probably wiping out any savings made and making our streets a lot dirtier.

Colm Costello ● 5434d

Perhaps Cllr Taylor and the Conservative Group should take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror. How dare they tell the people of Ealing such a bare faced lie about their position on this issue?! As an avid recycler and gardener I do appreciate the issues that people have raised on this forum and elsewhere and I understand that residents, genuine in their beliefs will lobby me and fellow councillors on the issues. However, the position of the Tories beggars belief.  They have had ample opportunities to debate this issue and to set out their position on it. Only they don’t know what they want. This petition is both disingenuous and proves their muddled thinking and I’ll explain why:•        The Tories decided to “call in” the Cabinet decision to return to a charged garden waste collection, itself a result of the deep cuts of £85m that we are facing as a council.•        However at the Call in meeting, the Conservative Shadow Cabinet member Cllr Young (former chair of this panel), chose not ask for the whole decision to be rescinded and reconsidered (his right and he could have taken it to a vote). Instead his position was to ask whether every household could have the additional option of having their garden waste collected from the pink sacks that used to be so popular in the past!.  The minutes of the meeting speak for themselves; remember it’s a cross-party committee. Here’s a key line from it:Resolved: (i) That the Committee unanimously agrees to uphold the decisions taken by the Cabinet at its meeting on 13th September, 2011Full minutes can be found here: http://www2.ealing.gov.uk/ealing3/export/sites/ealingweb/services/council/committees/agendas_minutes_reports/scrutiny/overview_and_scrutiny/24may2011-15may2012/_03_nov_2011./Item_5_Minutes_06.10.11_.doc(Item 8 – page 5 onwards)The meeting was described as “The Most Pathetic Call In in Ealing’s history”. (For your information this unanimous decision as recorded by the clerk to the meeting, involved Tory Cllrs Costello, Chapman, Dabrowska, Grant and Sumner).  Cllr Millican was also in attendance but unfortunately Cllr Taylor, who was characteristically quiet at the previous meeting was missing in action on this one and so obviously wasn’t brought up to speed with what his colleagues had done.• At the last Full Council meeting in October, The Tories had a second chance to redeem themselves, stand by their principles and ask for the decision to be rescinded.  Again the opportunity went begging for some decisive leadership. What we got was a half baked motion which simply asked the council not to go fortnightly on rubbish and recycling: something only Labour made a commitment to in our manifesto put to local residents at the last council elections.•        Then last week I received an e-mail rant from the Tory Finance Spokesman on the council.  Part of it was a ‘back of a fag packet’ list of things the Tories would change were they to be in charge of the Town Hall. Was Garden Charges on that list? Of course not, if only they had the guts!So, as you will see, the reality is that for all the talk and rhetoric, the Conservatives have had the chance not once, not twice, but three times to take some real action on garden waste charges but on each occasion they have shown residents their true colours.The sad reality is that the Tories like Millican and Young have bottled making the decision because they know that if they did not accept these changes they would have to make one or more of the following choices.  I have asked them which one the Conservatives would be inflicting on the people of Ealing... surprisingly despite having had weeks to think it over they have been remarkably silent on this front. I won’t hold my breath for an honest answer.These are the kinds of things that the Conservatives would have to look at doing if they do not take this saving:•  Fortnightly collection from compulsory wheelie bins for rubbish and recycling•  Reduce street cleaning frequencies to once in every 3 weeks on residential roads•  Have a minimal tree management service and have no graffiti and fly tip removals•  Closure of all our leisure centres•  Switch off of all street lightsThe people of Ealing deserve to know where they stand on this issue because they certainly don’t stand by their word.

Bassam Mahfouz ● 5433d

Cllr Mahfouz is showing the strain somewhat I think.  Amusingly he accuses one of my colleagues of a rant in the course of his 722 word ...er...rant!It is not very dignified for a cabinet member to start accusing people of lying especially when he is talking about the Conservatives’ own position.  It is what we say it is.  That is pretty much the point.  The petition states the Tory position perfectly well so cannot be a lie.  I reserve the words lie and lying for deliberate falsehoods.  Mahfouz uses them with gay abandon to mean anything he disagrees with.  It is rather ugly.  Mahfouz is so overwhelmed by the minutiae of council proceedings that he has failed to see the wood for the trees.  Labour’s £40 garden tax will cause the borough’s residents lots of problems and the Tories wouldn’t have touched it with a bargepole.  Cllr Young arguably did make a tactical error at the October OSC meeting by trying to use the meeting to change the policy for the better rather than just  going down fighting in vain to overturn it completely.  Mahfouz calls this a “cross-party committee” whilst omitting to mention that Labour has 9 out of 15 votes on it and tend to vote en bloc.  Mahfouz quotes minutes that are due to be agreed at the next OSC meeting on Thursday where the wording Mahfouz quotes will get changed as it fails to reflect what happened at the meeting.  Let’s see how many people agree with the Conservative position shall we?  And then debate the issues rather than the procedure Cllr Mahfouz. 

Phil Taylor ● 5433d

Must be in by Dec. 1

Kim Bobsin ● 5432d

Well, what we want is a full alternative from the Tories. They obviously think they could do things better, so why not present an argued case - but across the whole budget not just picking this or that issue.Their government is saying we have to make drastic cuts now, so show us the painless way to do it.

Pete Grist ● 5432d

Are you suggesting that suicide is painless!

Nicola Howard ● 5432d

Peter,Maybe you are a unique individual and would be prepared to read through a complete exposition of an alternative budget but I fear that if we did do it very few people would read it.  We don't need an alternative budget we need alternative thinking, thinking that the Labour administration is either disinclined or unable to do.  I have spelt out clearly on my blog the kind of alternative approaches a Tory administration would take.  For instance:- Sharing services with other boroughs as is being done by the Tory tri-boroughhttp://philtaylor.org.uk/?p=5474- Tackling the council's £8.9 million bill for senior managershttp://philtaylor.org.uk/?p=5460- Fundamental organsiational re-designhttp://philtaylor.org.uk/?p=4534- Bringing staff Ts and Cs into line with the private sectorhttp://philtaylor.org.uk/?p=3947

Phil Taylor ● 5432d

The online version of the garden tax petition, asking the Labour administration to think again on their £40 charge for collecting garden waste, passed the 400 mark this afternoon.  We have about the same number of signatures on paper - one collector gave us 240 signatures yesterday.  Sign here: http://bit.ly/uXNhSb

Phil Taylor ● 5427d

What is the reason for asking for the white sack (plastics recycling) to be withdrawn?

Paul Webster ● 5427d

Paul,The Labour council is changing the very successful re-cycling system that has only been in place for two years since November 2009.  One of their proposals, due to come into force in April 2012, is to dispense with the white plastic sacks for plastic re-cycling.  It is proposed that the existing green boxes are used for plastic recycling instead.  Most residents feel that the green boxes are not suitable for bulky plastic waste and that this change will lead to less plastic being collected and more plastic being blown around streets.

Phil Taylor ● 5427d

Thanks for the hint. I have now found an article with a quote saying that if the white sacks go then the green boxes would be changed.http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/ealing-news/local-ealing-news/2011/08/05/fears-over-waste-collection-nasty-surprises-64767-29186626/

Paul Webster ● 5427d

Question:  Can residents opt out of this additional £40 per annum charge or will it be levied on every household whether or not one wishes to participate?

Jean F Fernandez ● 5427d

Jean,You effectively opt in by paying for the service.  If you don't pay they won't collect from you.  It is optional.

Phil Taylor ● 5427d

The page from the Ealing Times (on line)Friday, 11 November 2011 Ealing TimesEaling's garden waste tax will lead to more fly-tipping, say opponents (From Ealing Times)Ealing's garden waste tax will lead to more fly-tipping, say opponents12:39pm Thursday 3rd November 2011    By Hannah Kurzawski »EALING’S looming garden waste tax faces more criticism after claims that it may lead to increased fly tipping in the borough.Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition councillors disapprove of the tax, which is due to come into effect next April.Residents will be charged £40 a year, on top of their existing council tax, to have their garden waste collected by the council every fortnight, for 11 months a year.Currently, garden waste is collected every week, free of charge.Gary Malcolm (Lib Dem, Southfield) said: “Labour will introduce a new tax on residents, despite the fact that households are already struggling at this time.“The garden tax will just add to the problem of illegal dumping and might reduce the overall recycling rate.”Cllr Malcolm criticised the tax’s go-ahead despite opposition from Ealing residents and believed Labour-run Ealing Council have got it wrong.Colm Costello (Con, Hobbayne) described the tax as “punishing people for doing the right thing”.When Ealing Council was under Conservative control in 2006, Labour’s 50p charge to have a garden waste sack collected was abolished.In the 12 months prior to this, the council collected 1,722 tons of garden waste. In the 12 months following the scrapping of the fee, it collected 3,496 tonnes.Cllr Costello said: “One of the reasons we abolished the charge was because people didn’t want to pay an extra charge, so they just put their garden waste out with their household waste.”The council does not accept garden waste in the normal household refuse collection, so rubbish collectors are unable to take such waste away.Black bags containing such waste can remain on the roadside for days.Garden waste will not be collected in January, meaning only 22 collections a year – almost a 60 per cent reduction in the service currently provided.Opposition councillors believe this will not only lead to an increase in black bags littering Ealing’s streets, but also a reduction in general recycling.Ealing’s Conservatives are so strongly opposed to the tax, they are starting a petition against it.The petition is to keep recycling free and weekly and states: “We believe these changes will increase fly tipping, reduce the rates of recycling and alienate the very people whose support is needed.”The ruling Labour group say that charging those with garden waste £40 will save £1m a year.Bassam Mahfouz, the cabinet member for transport and environment, said he did not expect any increase in fly tipping.He says Ealing has an excellent record of catching fly tippers, who are taken to court and prosecuted. Residents are aware of this, he insists, and are deterred from doing it.The £40 annual tax is said to be cheaper than the garden waste removal charges in Richmond, Kingston and all other West London boroughs.Ealing will also offer a choice of waste disposal containers – either wheelie bins or re-usable hessian sacks.Cllr Mahfouz said Ealing needed to make savings of £85million over the next few years and such taxes had to be introduced.Alternatives would be to reduce street cleaning to once every three weeks, closing leisure centres or switching off all street lights.

Nicola Howard ● 5425d

"The £40 annual tax is said to be cheaper than the garden waste removal charges in Richmond, Kingston and all other West London boroughs."How so?  Which West London boroughs?  OK Richmond has a £50 wheelie bin yearly rental but alternatively a roll of 10 bags for £14 in which price collection is included. Alternate weekly collectionHounslow - 2 reusable bags provided + you can buy 2 more.  Max 4 per collection  free  Alternate weekly collectionBrent AFAIK still has food and garden waste in same wheelie bin weekly collection + biosack    freeHillingdon  3 canvas sacks + you can buy 3 more.  Max 6 per collection  Alternate weekly collection  freeKingston I don't know about.  Hammersmith I understand no longer has a garden waste collection.Correct me if I'm wrong.

Philippa Bond ● 5424d

http://www.eunomia.co.uk/shopimages/Cutting%20Waste%20-%20Reducing%20Costs%20and%20Improving%20Waste%20and%20Recycling%20Services.pdf

Philippa Bond ● 5424d

Is this going through?  Any chance of stopping it? I signed a petition Phil Taylor and Vlod brought to my door last week (good to see you both).  As many on here have said, including Dee and Colm, the garden waste will just re-appear in black bags and not recycled.  Seems like a backward step to me.

Angela White ● 5419d

I don't know how many signatures have been raised. The electronic petition has less than 700 names but Cllr Taylor said he seems to have more.Perhaps Vlod might throw some extra light on this if he knows?

George Knox ● 5419d

The petition is dishonest as it includes a piece of misinformation on fortnightly rubbish collection. A more honest approach would be for the Tories to have a petition to 'sack some friends neighbours who work for the council and give me free garden waste collection' (feel free to substitute an alternative government imposed cut). It should be avoided.

Pete Grist ● 5419d

Dear Mr GristThe petition is very clear. It asks that the council abandon it's plans for the option in the contract to go to forthnightly collections for rubbish and recycleables. The contract has that option in there. In the july cabinet paper, there were four options in including the option to go to forthnightly collections of garden waste. Three of the four options were then taken up in the september cabinet paper, but not the option of forthnightly rubbish and recyleable collections. That option could still be taken up. the petition demands that it isn't. I hope that clarifies, the reports are here if you want to check for yourselfhttp://www2.ealing.gov.uk/ealing3/export/sites/ealingweb/services/council/committees/agendas_minutes_reports/cabinet/24may2011-15may2012/_26_july_2011/Item_14_-_Award_of_Environmental_Services_Contract_2012.doc http://www2.ealing.gov.uk/ealing3/export/sites/ealingweb/services/council/committees/agendas_minutes_reports/cabinet/24may2011-15may2012/_13_September_2011/Item_12_-_Environmental_Services_Contract_-_Future_Options.doc

Colm Costello ● 5419d

I understand that the petition signatures are well over 1,000 now (1,500 required to force a debate in the Council chamber). Pete Grist is wrong to say that the garden waste collection service is currently free - it's not, residents pay for it through their Council Tax. What the Labour Council are proposing through the £40 levy for garden waste collection is, in effect, an increase in Council Tax to pay for services.

Vlod Barchuk ● 5418d

The area covered will be just as large and the administration will be greater.  I don't see how it can be anything other than an expensive and divisive tax.  We will all be paying for it and those who pay the extra will be paying twice.We need to see more promotion of waste reduction and composting as well.Take a look at our neighboring Council website and see what they are doing.Here's something new I found today:  www.classicfm/composting

Philippa Bond ● 5418d

The area covered will be just as large and the administration will be greater.  I don't see how it can be anything other than an expensive and divisive tax.  We will all be paying for it and those who pay the extra will be paying twice.We need to see more promotion of waste reduction and composting as well.Take a look at our neighboring Council website and see what they are doing.Here's something new I found today:  www.classicfm/composting

Philippa Bond ● 5418d

Vlod is hair splitting, obviously no service is free of cost. I don't like the new charge, and will probably not use the service in future, but I realise that many councils have always charged for this service or are now planning to do so. The dilemma for anyone given the Tory Government cuts to council grants and the inability to raise council tax, is what has to go. On top of that the budget reduction has to be here and now, ruling out longer term structural change as an answer. I look forward to the debate and eagerly await the alternative solution from the proposers.

Pete Grist ● 5418d

Not sure that that Classic fm ref is quite correct.  However there is a competition to win a sustainable garden makeover which includes a worm tunnel which sounds interesting so I'll have to get round to investigating that!  My wormery was the best/most memorable of birthday/Christmas presents from my father. There is always time to make slight changes to the way that you do things.  Nowadays there is facebook, the internet and emails to help you get started and you can ask questions of a broad number of people so easily.  It used to be more complicated!

Philippa Bond ● 5418d

The online version of the garden tax petition has got 800 signatures as of this morning.  Sign here: http://bit.ly/uXNhSb

Phil Taylor ● 5415d

The garden tax online petition has gone over the 1,000 mark today.  More people have signed this than all of the other petitions on the council's petitions site added together.  Local residents associations have also collected over 2,000 signatures on paper taking us over the 3,000 mark overall.  We are keen to send a strong message to the council to think again.  If you haven't signed go to:http://bit.ly/uXNhSb

Phil Taylor ● 5410d

£40 GARDEN WASTE LEVY SPARKS HEATED DEBATE!A petition of over 5,000 signatures to overturn the £40 tax has failed. This labour administration just don't care if you can afford it or not.  There has been no consideration from this administration with regard to circumstances, i.e fixed low income, disability and pensioners.  I now assume that there will be more fly-tipping or hiding garden waste in the black bags.  Also collection for all waste will be fortnightly. Another item that has been revealed is a 20mph limit on all council roads. This is to improve road safety.  Hope Bassam wants to pay for the petrol,  second gear equals higher petrol/diesel consumption and more pollution.

Nicola Howard ● 5390d

"Also collection for all waste will be fortnightly. "Surely the garbage collection remains weekly - I've not heard or read anything to the contrary?

Rosco White ● 5390d

That's right Rosco.  Rubbish still collected weekly.  Ignore the usual ill informed Tory diatribe from Nicola Howard

Nigel Williams ● 5390d

The option is in the new contract to go fortnightly with everything else though isn't it?I'm sure it is reckoned that it is easier to touch the well off and can't-be-bothered for an extra donation to council funds than to confront and sort out those who are still not doing their bit in separating any waste, and are costing us all more in extra landfill fees.  That could be politically unpopular.

Philippa Bond ● 5390d

£40 garden waste levy sparks heated debateConservative leader Councillor David Millican lead opposition to a £40 garden waste collection levy.A PETITION of more than 5,000 signatures from outraged residents triggered a heated debate this week over the council's proposed £40 annual levy to collect garden waste.Conservative group leader Councillor David Millican handed in the document - which he called 'easily the largest presented in living memory' - at a full council meeting on Tuesday (13) urging the leading Labour group to reconsider the new charge.Cabinet members approved the new annual fee in September to charge households for the service, which is currently included in council tax, and to reduce it to fortnightly collections.It is due to be introduced in April despite outcries by residents, particularly the elderly who could struggle with the additional cost.Mr Millican said: "Residents have told us emphatically not to mess with the way recycling is collected."Many have said they're concerned that flytipping will increase and they will end up having to pay to remove leaves on the road."But Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, the council's transport and environment chief, called the Conservative-lead campaign 'disingenuous' as the Tories failed to call the policy in for review earlier. And he defended the hike based on the council's desperate need to find £85million of savings.He added: "The alternative to this is to raise council tax or introduce fortnightly collections (for all refuse). I ask the Tories what alternative would they choose?"Despite the backing by residents, the opposition lost the vote to review the new policy.On the night, Mr Mahfouz also announced speed limits on all council-managed roads will be reduced to 30mph or under as of January to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians. This excludes the main highways, such as the A40, which are managed by Transport for London.And Councillor Ranjit Dheer, cabinet member for community services, outlined plans to upgrade two libraries facing closure earlier this year. Perivale Library is set to get £400,000 and Hanwell £900,000 to make essential improvements to the dated buildings following the dramatic U-turn by the council to save four vulnerable libraries.Funding will come from the recovered £2million invested in an Icelandic bank and thought lost during the financial crisis.Mr Dheer said more than 50 volunteers had stepped up to help run the libraries at a reduced cost, and all 40 Labour councillors will volunteer at a large reading event in March.

Nicola Howard ● 5390d

"Another item that has been revealed is a 20mph limit on all council roads"You are wrong Nicola.  Will you now correct the misinformation you are spreading?

Mike Brittan ● 5389d

Correction 30mph

Nicola Howard ● 5389d

Should they?How much do we value our trees?

Philippa Bond ● 5386d

The problem of Council trees dropping their leaves onto private property is a problem.  If you value the trees, just sweep them up and dump them in the roadway if you are unable to compost them.  Else you could put them in your food waste bin a little at a time.

Dee Cook ● 5386d

A bit difficult if you end up with about 18 sacks of them!I have heard you can mow them to start them on their journey of decomposition.

Philippa Bond ● 5386d

You should welcome the leaves. Make a heap in a corner (neater with some stiff netting around it. Just leave it, and after a year or so you will have lovely leaf mould compost. No need to cut them up. Don't put them in your compost bin.

Pete Grist ● 5385d

The trouble with piles of leaves is that they make a nice cosy bed for rats.Better to shred them and use them as mulch.

Dee Cook ● 5385d

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-leaf-mouldAs well as the wire netting ones you can just use a black bin bag, put your wet leaves in this, tie closed and make some holes in it and push it out of sight.Rats are more interested in food left out for them eg dumped take-aways and restaurant and house food waste that is not contained properly in bins.

Philippa Bond ● 5382d