The Future's not Bright for Recycling in Bedford as County takes Orange Bags Away

4.19.37pm GMT Fri 21st Dec 2007

Bedford Borough Lib Dems believe residents should have a choice over whether to use a bag or an extra bin for recycling

Bedfordshire County Council has dealt a blow to thousands of recyclers across Bedford Borough by deciding to take away their orange recycling bags. Having up to now provided the bags for recycling and garden waste, the County has decided that it will no longer provide the bags because of the cost. They want to force people to use bins instead, a move which may remove thousands of people from the recycling scheme at a stroke with many residents unable to store another wheelie bin in addition to their black bin.

Commenting, Bedford Borough Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Michael Headley said:

"If the Tory-run County Council wants to increase recycling, it has a bizarre way of showing it. First it tries to force the Borough Council into accepting fortnightly collections, and now it is taking away residents' orange recycling bags altogether. We have long argued that residents should be given a choice of an 'orange' bin or a bag, but to try to force residents to only use bins is an incredibly short-sighted move. A recycling bin is the best option for many people, but for thousands of households an extra bin is often simply not possible and if there are no bags there will be no recycling. This is why residents must be given a choice.'

"A bin-only recycling scheme is completely unsuitable for many people living in blocks of flats or densely-populated areas, for example. Taking bags away completely will only serve to alienate and antagonise both current and potential recyclers, and will put many off taking part in the recycling collection scheme at all. The number of households taking part in the orange bag scheme is increasing year after year, but the Tories' penny pinching move threatens to reverse this trend. If the County Council refuses to think again then the Borough Council must act to save bag collections for those that it suits best."