Do you want to save Craven Arms Household Recycling Centre (HRC)? How much do you want to pay for green bin collections? These are two of the questions being asked by Shropshire Council in a consultation.
Opposition to closing Craven Arms Household Recycling Centre has been absolute. I have not heard a single word in favour of it. Around 8,500 people have signed the petition against it.
Views on charging for green waste have been more mixed. Some people do not accept they should pay. Some say it will lead to an increase in fly-tipping or green waste in the black bin. Others say the idea of charging is reasonable.
The council also asks if people favour a booking system for taking stuff to the HRC.
It is time for all of us to make our views known on charges and on keeping Craven Arms HRC open.
I am sure that introducing charges for green waste collection will lead to some fly-tipping but I don’t think it will be that big a problem. Gardeners with a lot of green waste will take it to a household recycling centre. Those with a small amount of waste will compost it or put it in the green bin.
Shropshire Council is suggesting charging £52 a year for green waste collection. I am sure this figure has only been chosen because it amounts to one pound a week. In a motion to the council’s cabinet, I proposed that the charge should be increased to £60 a year and the extra income raised used to keep the HRCs open. This is one of the options in the consultation survey.
The council also warns that if green waste charges come in, it will no longer collect food waste until April 2026 when all councils will be mandated do so by the government. That is a retrograde step and I am not sure why it is necessary. If food waste can be collected with green waste in some areas of Shropshire now, including Ludlow, why can’t it be collected in those areas until the weekly waste collection service comes in?
The council is suggesting a booking system for use of HRCs. Although this will be inconvenient for some, it will stop people from outside the area bring their waste and recycling here. Telford & Wrekin council is already talking about charging Shropshire residents is they use its HRCs. Worcestershire already insists that users of its HRCs live in the county.
The background to the consultation is that Shropshire Council needs to save £62 million this financial year. That’s a tough call. Budgets must be cut or funding raised.
Charging for green waste collection will raise revenue. Closing HRCs will only reduce recycling and lead to greater fly-tipping.
The consultation is open until 20 May.
Would this be a blanket charge or would you have to sign up?
I have always composted my green waste and have never needed a green bin.
Good point. It is opt in so you will pay nothing if you don’t use the green bin. Great that you compost. When I had a garden, everything was composted.
Andy- it would have made much more sense if the consultation information from SCC stated that the booking in process was to ensure that only Shropshire residents used the facility and out of county people could not or got charged- this makes more sense but is not clear in the consultation words sent out.
As for your comments on there maybe more fly tipping but I don’t think it will be a big problem- I cant agree- the council take little or no responsibility for clearance up fly tipping and tries to push it back to land owners- why shoudl they have to clear up a mess generated by council policy and from the point of making Shropshire a tourist and leisure destination any fly tipping will not help and any policy leading to any increase in fly tipping shoudl not be passed by the council- or they take full responsibility for clearing up fly tipping without any argument and quickly as soon as it is reported.
They clear up litter from verges etc. Only recently, Andy pointed out that Shropshire council had added to motorist’s woes choosing to litter pick just outside Ludlow on the bypass, whilst also carrying out other activities, of which the council knew, making getting from A to B difficult. Surely litter dropping is fly tipping?.Therefore, the council should be responsible?
perhaps proof on entry to recycle centre of shropshire address,as i dont aslways know when someone can take my recycling for me to book up. if not Shropshire charge a fee for entry or turn away like happened once in Herefordshire.