Calls have been made to North Somerset Council to once again look at collecting black bins every three weeks, instead of every two weeks, at a meeting of the council’s executive. The executive approved plans to close Backwell recycling centre and increase the cost of collecting garden waste, part of a sweeping set of cuts as the council tries to reduce their £17m budget gap to £4.1m.
These will only come into force after being approved as part of the council’s budget next year. The former council leader, Don Davies, questioned why this move was being made while the council was still spending money on collecting black bins every other week.
Speaking in the meeting as a non-executive member, he said: “Around proposals to close Backwell’s recycling centre, I am sure there are pros behind that. But nothing about trying to get residents to recycle more by reducing the number of black bin collections? Which obviously costs us a lot of money in either landfill charges or the costs of incineration.”
