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Green food waste bags no longer free from Southwark Council


Mrs TP

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My lot have requested the Southwark Overview Scrutiny Committee (OSC) review this decision about charging for bulk waste collections. This has been agree and will take place 17 September. If you have views you'd like the committee to consider about this proposed new charge on residents please email me.


Our grounds for requesting this were:

- not included in council budget setting in February.

- decision didn't cover the likely impacts in messier streets

- decision suggested more good would be donated to charity with no evidence for this assertion.

- the decision maker failed to make any responses for requests to meet to discuss this decision - so lack of openness.

- decision stated meets Medium term Resources strategy but doesn't explain why it meets this - we think per item the proposal is for much higher charges per item than other London boroughs.

- no evidence of the likely impact of this decision.

- report stated this decision delayed until systems in place- so the decision appears already made.

- no explanation on the impact on people with lower incomes or people without cars.

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James Barber wrote (inter alia), about 'free collections of bulky items - withdrawal' - decision suggested more good (sic) would be donated to charity with no evidence for this assertion.


To add to this - charities will not, generally, accept goods which have material/ stuffing etc. where these are not confirmed as being fire retardant treated. Many older items of furniture either have not been treated, or the labels confirming this are now missing. These are precisely the sorts of items (together with mattresses) which can be dumped to the general detriment of the environment.


Where they can be of course, donations to charity are good (or re-use via Freecycle etc.) - but this is often not possible, whatever the wishes of the owners.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I am disappointed not to have the free bags any more, but I fully accept why the free scheme ended. It was a simple cost to cut that did not have many ramifications elsewhere. My sister in Bristol never had free bags and always used newspaper in her food recycing bin. With so many free papers around, thiis presents a cost-free alternative. Cady bags are available to buy at loads of supermarkets and we buy them just as we buy liners for our kitchen bin. If you don't expect the council to provide you with a free bag for your kitchen/pedal/swing bin, why expect other bin liners to be gratis?
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flocker spotter Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

If you don't expect the council to provide you with a free bag for your kitchen/pedal/swing bin,

why expect other bin liners to be gratis?


Because it is Their scheme.. Your internal pedal bin has nothing to do with Southwark Council.


The green bags are for food waste and by residents separating their waste we are already saving the council

money and preventing all waste having to be sent to land fill. We all pay for these bags through our council tax.


Dulwich DIY are now charging ?3.89 for 25 green food bags.. Shops will be taking advantage of this new scheme.


DulwichFox

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spider69 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> As someone has remarked they can cut this scheme

> out but can still pay ?169.000.00 on staff

> refreshments for 2014 .

>

> Why do we have to pay for their tea and coffees?


Why does any firm pay for tea and coffee? Why does my firm pay for tea and coffee? So I'm happier working and more productive and not nipping down the road to buy coffee wasting time.


Why should we pay to heat their buildings - surely they can wear coats?


Here is another why. Why the utter contempt for council employees?

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spider69 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Most companies I have been with have a tea club or

> a machine you put your own money in

>

> why is asking why we have to pay ?169.000.00

> showing contempt.

>

> Heating? Think you have lost the plot


I've never worked for a company with a tea club. Even the dockyard managed to supply its workforce with a cup of tea now and again. I work for a city firm now - not known for having any waste at all but realises that providing some basic comfort now and again improves productivity.


It's interesting that with all the corruption and nepotism that goes in local government, with all the cuts that have been made from central funds, with all the tax breaks for property developers and special deals for contractors and incompetence at the highest level of management it's the workers' tea and biscuits that you're after.

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  • 4 weeks later...

@KestonKid Where is "Farmers" and how much are they charging per bag?


I've been speaking to Southwark recycling and they confirmed that you can't put newspaper in the brown bin.

So what are the options for those of us who don't want to pay for bags - is there a cunning cost-saving solution?

Over winter putting it straight into the bin may not be that bad but once it gets warmer I'm really not going to want to open the lid.

I know some other boroughs still give them away for free - but I assume you have to show some proof of address to get them.

Unless anyone knows different.

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