Reading Liberal Democrats

Reading saw its new alternate waste collection (AWC) featured on the BBC’s flagship ‘Newsnight’ programme which was broadcast on the 26 April. Among those featured was Erleigh Road resident Elena Jeronimidis who has serious concerns about AWC.

The programme also featured shots of terraced Reading streets where bins are now an inescapable part of the street furniture. Although a Reading Borough Council press release has claimed that the new system is more hygeinic, this experience is not borne out by residents of Reading’s many terraces, especially those in areas with houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Government advice reported in The Guardian newspaper yesterday stated that AWC would be hard to implement in high-density areas – a point made forcefully by the Lib Dems since the new system came out in May.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat PPC Gareth Epps said:

‘Reading still hasn’t got it right on bin collection. The Government’s own advice warns that it is difficult to run this scheme in areas with high population density and shared housing. Reading’s experience shows that – in spite the best efforts of Council officers – residents are nervous about what will happen in the summer. The Council’s PR machine in election time is not the way to reassure residents.

‘Liberal Democrats want to see two immediate changes to the system.

1. Introducing doorstep glass recycling – like most councils who make money from this and reduce pressure on Council Tax bills – is obvious to everyone but Labour’s Council bosses.
2. ‘Bring in food waste recycling. This is easy – it works in Lib Dem-run Cambridge and Islington; it restores weekly collection of the waste that residents worry about. And it’s good for the environment too.’