At the Greener Basingstoke stall in the Malls in September we asked you to give us the your questions for the Council about recycling.
Thankyou to Chris Tomblin, Ward councillor for Bramley Ward and Cabinet Member for Climate and Ecological Emergency for providing answers. Do let us know if you have further questions.
Question
Food waste (which is collected by other Councils such as Kent). Apparently Surrey Heath recycle everything – one bin for everything including glass as well as kerbside separate collection for clothes and shoes. The need for all councils to have the same standards – e.g Dorset have food waste collection. I think I might have read that DEFRA have made an announcement on this recently?
Answer
Food waste collections are not currently mandatory, though this is being considered by the government as part of its national waste and resources strategy. Hampshire County Council, which is the waste disposal authority, and its local authority partners are working together to increase the range of materials that can be recycled across Hampshire in future.
Food waste collections were considered by the council when the service was contracted out to Serco in 2018, but the additional service was unlikely to be sustainable given there is an existing weekly waste collection service in the borough.
Home composting is a good way of dealing with your kitchen and garden waste. Hampshire residents can buy compost bins at a reduced rate from www.GetComposting.com. A wormery may be a good choice if you have a small garden. This produces an excellent liquid fertiliser, which can be applied to plants and flowers. If you are unable to compost at home, please use your grey waste bin for kitchen waste which will be incinerated and turned into energy for local homes.
On Wednesday 20 September, DEFRA announced that the environment secretary is due to launch a scheme called ‘Simpler Recycling’. The aim is to ensure all homes in England can recycle the same materials. Following this, we are awaiting further clarity and detail from the government including on what the rules will involve and any potential changes.
Question
One person appreciated the new recycling leaflet and the current system and uses Wade Road regularly but thought people in flats or without cars would have more difficulty. Is there anything in place to help such people?
Answer
We have weekly kerbside collections in Basingstoke and Deane for household waste and recycling. Residents can choose to take items to Hampshire County Council’s household waste recycling centre on Wade Road in Basingstoke. Alternatively, through our website we also provide a link for residents to utilise the Donations Form for items which can be collected by the Community Furniture Project (01256 320700).
For larger items, they can also choose to book a bulky waste collection from home by calling the council on 01256 844844 or online at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/BulkyWaste. People in receipt of council tax support, housing benefit or the housing element of universal credit may be entitled to a concessionary rate. To obtain a discounted price, they need to call the council on 01256 844844 to verify and arrange the collection.
Question
Is the Council taking part in the WRAP event – think that might be in October?
Answer
Yes. We will be supporting WRAP’s Recycle Week, which runs from Monday 16 to Sunday 22 October this year.
Question
Can BDBC persuade the govt to speed up the launch of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme instead of delaying it to Oct 2025 – 7 years late?
Answer
We are committed to working together with our communities towards achieving a net zero carbon borough. As part of that, as the Cabinet member responsible for climate change, I recently issued a challenge to the government to go further and faster with policies, which includes those for areas such as planning and manufacturing, that would make a significant difference to help drive down emissions and tackle the climate emergency.