Lib Dems to defend Recycling
LIB DEMS TO DEFEND RECYCLING

B&NES is being forced to reconsider opening hours at the Authority's three 
Household Waste and Recycling Centres in the area at the Waste Management 
Sub Committee meeting on September 10th. Liberal Democrat Spokes for the 
Committee, Cllr Roger Symonds, promised to defend the facilities current 
opening hours. Speaking today (Friday), he said:

"Recycling facilities are a vital component in our strategy to deal with 
waste. Since we opened the Centres on Sunday afternoons there has been a 
sharp increase in uptake. I am determined that we can and will find a way 
to maintain the opening hours of all three facilities."

This year, for the first time, the Government has set individual statutory 
recycling targets to Local Authorities. At the same time it has chosen to 
exclude key categories, such as home composting, from the calculations. 
Given that the national trend is an annual 3% increase in waste per year, 
the budget pressures on providing recycling facilities are set to rise 
alarmingly.

"This is yet another example of the Government making it harder for Local 
Authorities to achieve their objectives" said Cllr Symonds. "B&NES has an 
outstanding record, and is a Beacon Status for Dealing with Waste - but 
the Government's heavy-handed attempts to control recycling objectives are 
likely to be a prime factor in any deterioration in service. Targets have 
to be funded, and too often the Government increases Local Authority costs 
by imposing new targets, whilst year on year the amount of cash support is 
diminished."

Cllr Symonds believes that the Waste Management meeting should seek first 
for a way to ensure there is no reduction in opening hours at the 
Recycling Centres, and secondly to lobby central Government for a better 
liaison with Local Authorities to enable ambitious recycling schemes to 
succeed.

"Ideally I would favour a zero-waste strategy for B&NES" said Cllr Symonds 
"I have been researching a project in Canberra that has a 10 year strategy 
to achieve zero waste. But while we are so busy fighting budget cuts and 
looking ever to deliver more for less, our ambitions are unlikely to be 
realized."

Ends

Contact Cllr Roger Symonds for further information 01225 832144 mobile 
07799 137826