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Wheelie bins made smaller to increase recycling
Last updated at 10:37am on 14.05.07Councils are cutting the size of residents' wheelie bins in an attempt to encourage recycling.
Local authorities are to introduce new "baby bins" which will give householders 180-litre containers instead of of the 240-litre versions previously provided.
One of the first councils to do this is Lewisham, but several authorities in London look set to follow.
Downsized: Lewisham resident Vanessa Wells with her old and new wheelie bins
Merton council is considering a similar move and Croydon is issuing even smaller bins as part of a scheme to vary the volume of containers according to the size of the household.
Supporters of the recycling drive say the aim is to deter unnecessary waste, but the tactic has sparked protests from critics who argue it is likely to encourage fly-tipping.
The row, which follows nationwide protests over the abolition of weekly collections by some councils, will reinforce concerns about whether reducing the amount of rubbish collected - rather than persuading the public to change their habits - is the best way to boost recycling rates.
Southwark is running a trial of 180-litre bins and in Sutton some households have been given containers as small as 140 litres.
A spokesman for Sutton defended the move and said larger bins were only necessary for larger households.
"We have two sizes of bins for nonrecyclable refuse - 140-litre bins, which are issued as standard, and 240-litre bins, which households of more than six people can request," he said.
A spokeswoman for Southwark said it was hoping the smaller bins would help people think about whether rubbish was recyclable before throwing it out.
She said: "While the trial is still in its early stages, the feedback from residents so far has been positive."
Council officials are concerned that despite increased recycling rates across the capital, many residents exploit the size of their wheelie bins - which are typically four times larger than old-fashioned bins - to get rid of waste that could be reused.
Shadow local government minister Eric Pickles warned that while councils should be free to choose the size of bins in consultation with local residents, there was a danger that the use of smaller containers could backfire.
"I am concerned that over-zealous enforcement of no side collection' policies and smaller bins threatens to increase fly-tipping and harm the local environment," he said.
"This is another sign of how the Government's new regulations and stealth taxes are forcing town halls to curtail the frequency and scope of rubbish collections."
Susan Wise, Lewisham council's cabinet member for customer services, said that although residents would not be compelled to have the new bins there had been no complaints so far.
"I think most people in the borough would agree that encouraging recycling is a good thing," she said.
"We have ordered over 6,000 of the smaller bins so far and they are proving quite popular.
"Some people actually prefer having a smaller bin because it's less of an obstacle."
Reader views (9)
I live in the borough of Lewisham. They took my recycling bin away. How on earth they expect us to recycle more with the amount of idiots running things is beyond me? We will just have to dump our rubbish outside the bins which will encourage fly tipping. Our bin gets full of shops' rubbish anyway, so we can hardly fit our own rubbish in our own bins, the council know and haven't done anything about it.
- Lee Newham, Lewisham
"People generate and throw out far too much rubbish." Actually, it's manufacturers that generate too much rubbish. How many times have you bought a jar in a box wrapped in cellophane? If we could dump all the excess packaging at the tills we wouldn't fill up the bins anywhere near as quickly.
- Paul, London
Nobody said that the councils are implementing smaller wheelie bins AND fortnightly rubbish collections. Smaller wheelie bins are an excellent idea and far preferable to infrequent rubbish collections. People generate and throw out far too much rubbish and need strong encouragement to recycle and re-use more.
- Sarah, London
Until the councils offer to recyle the majority instead the minority of plastic packaging then they shouldn't reduce the size of the bins. They can't bang on about recyling and then only offer to recycle unwaxed paper, washing up bottles and plastic milk cartons.
The space most plastic food containers take up in the bin is crazy when it could be recycled. In fact I could recycle double the volume if the council would accept more prefectly recyclable plastic! And not because my general waste bin has been made smaller but because the council has expanded their measely recycling scheme.
- Isabel, Woking, England
Simple logic is astounding. If they reduce the capacity of the Wheelie Bins to increase the amount of materials for recycling, then taken to the limit if there were zero Wheelie Bins that would increase the materials for recycling to it's maximum. Why didn't somebody think of that before they made all the Wheelie Bins?
- Frank, Wolverhampton, England
I wonder if this information was available before the local elections?
- Andy, London
I live in Lewisham Borough and still get weekly rubbish collections, and my bin has not changed size recently. I do however find that the recycling bin we have is far too small, they only empty that every other week by which time it is usually rammed full - I'm sure most people resort to putting recyclables in the trash. If they are going to reduce weekly rubbish collections/reduce bin sizes, they need to increase the size of recycling bins and frequency of collections.
- Mark, London
Well that just about puts the tin lid on it. Collection every other week and now smaller dustbins too. I wonder how Lewisham Council will feel when my rubbish is dumped outside their offices, so that I can ensure I don't have to put up with the sight of it, the smell (especially in summer) and the vermin it will doubtless attract.
- Geraldine, London
So, not content with making the pickup once a fortnight, they're going to make the bins smaller too.
Why not admit they don't really want to do anything for the taxes they collect and the rates only purpose is to pay overinflated salaries and gold edged pensions to civil servants AKA people who couldn't hold on to a real job if they tried.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark
