Controversial plans to stop collecting plastic for recycling in Swindon have been ditched after a council U-turn.
After months of criticism from opponents – and even a letter from central government opposing the bid – the borough council’s waste strategy has dropped the idea of asking residents to put plastic in their ordinary waste bins and sending it to be made into industrial fuel.
Councillor Maureen Penny, the cabinet member for highways and the environment, said while she thought the plan was still a decent idea, it had been shelved after a public consultation.
She said: “It was never a definite policy – that’s why we asked the public for their opinion.
“People who responded to us were split about 50-50 on it – and many of them were more concerned about whether they would have space in their bins or blue bags for plastics.”
The council will continue to ask people to put out plastic rubbish in clear bags once a fortnight for kerbside collection by recycling teams.
Councillor Penny added: “We’ve also had conversations with our agent about what happens to our plastic when it is shipped for recycling – and we are happier that it is recycled properly and not just thrown somewhere, so we’re confident there’s much less chance that it ends up in a dolphin’s stomach.”
Adver readers welcomed the move. On our Facebook page, Karen King said: “Well done to the council for acting on public opinion.”
And Laura Morgan said: “Thank God.”
Labour councillor Jane Milner-Barry backed the U-turn saying: “This is very pleasing. Burning plastic was always a bad idea, and confusing people about recycling is also not good.
“I think the plastic should be stored here rather than sending it abroad until there’s a better solution found.”
Councillor Milner-Barry approved of the proposals to look at collecting food waste and appointing waste wardens to help recycle more.
Councillor Penny said: “We have responded to people’s concerns. There’s no point asking people their opinion and then ignoring what they say.
“We are going to wait for the government’s new strategy on plastic waste, which is expected in the new year.”
She added she was hoping to speak to supermarkets and producers of single-use plastics to try and get them to help with cutting down on its use.
The original plan to include plastic in the rubbish turned into industrial fuel at the Waterside Park plant drew a lot of opposition.
Labour and Lib Dem councillors condemned the plan, and the Conservative government’s environment minister Therese Coffey wrote to the council saying it should rethink after the proposal made national news.
The council had floated the idea in September as part of its plan to increase its recycling rate.
Currently it recycles just under 48 per cent of all the waste it collects, which is a drop of 10 percentage points in just five years.
By law the council will have to increase that rate to 50 per cent by 2020 and to 60 per cent by 2030.
This article originally appeared on Swindon Advertiser
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