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Collect Refuse in Oxford Weekly

Campaigner | 13.02.2007 13:47 | Health | Oxford

"CROW", a campaign to restore weekly collections
of waste from properties within Oxford City.




Oxford City has introduced fortnightly collections of refuse in the name of "recycling". We are a group of ardent recyclers but we are now seeing parts of our city turned into pavement rubbish tips. This month the scheme will expand throughout the city. We know we have a rat problem in Oxford and this scheme will exacibate the problem. The council are talking about fining residents if they put their rubbish out too early for collection but this will only hurt the the most disadvantaged in our society.

We are committed to recycling as much as possible.

We believe that for years councils have done little to encourage recycling - now our city council is trying to force people with this scheme instead of education, encouragement or reward.

There has been no proper consultation or debate with the residents.

There has been no long term research on the effects of fortnightly refuse collections.

Fortnightly refuse collections do not work in highly populated areas such as Oxford City.

Terraced houses with no rear or side access and small gardens were not designed for wheelie-bins and the fortnightly storage of waste.

We have high levels of multi-occupation housing.

In the hot summer months this scheme will create a health hazard with an increase in flies, maggots and rats.

Overflowing, obtrusive wheelie bins are already spoiling parts of Oxford.
We believe that this scheme will create an increase in fly-tipping.

We are campaigning for an improved community recycling programme and a return to weekly collections.

Campaigner
- e-mail: oxfordweeklywaste@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.crow.uk.com

Comments

Hide the following 13 comments

Charge them

13.02.2007 14:07

for your rubbish.Metal can recyclers pay you,so do paper and cardboard.So why not get payed for anything recycled.They are in it for the money not for the benefits of recycling.The contents of this bin are the property of (name).Anyone that takes them will be guilty of theft.

Bizz


Encourage recycling

13.02.2007 18:02

The only way to get many people to recycle is to encourage them by removing weekly collections.

Otherwise they can't be bothered to get off their fat backsides and will continue dumping things in the landfill bin.

A Person


for comparison

14.02.2007 10:53

 http://www.oxford.gov.uk/environment/recycling-improvement.cfm
The council has done a decent job of setting out their case and plans. CROWs site is well argues as well.

I wonder what will happen with stuff that's in the wrong bin? Putting potentially recyclable stuff into landfill is simple and we've done it for decades, but if you put landfill stuff in the recycling box will the collection crew leave it on your doorstep? I half-hope they will.

yokel


all too familiar

15.02.2007 17:29

Change Oxford to Rotten Borough of Rushmoor and it is all too familiar.

Keith


An Oxford resident

22.02.2007 14:01

I don't see why we can't usefully re-cycle and have hygenic rubbish collection! If a London Borough like Camden can do it why not dozy Oxford Council! Why do I ask that? They can't get much right it seems.

John


Why do we allow our councillors to dictate

24.02.2007 13:32

Yet again we see another council that treats its residents with contempt. They forget who voted for them in the first place. In Oxford City they mix up recycling with a cut in services.
They have told residents that it is working in other regions but they fail to mention all the residents in the same areas who have experienced maggots and vermin attacking their 2 week old stinking rubbish. We have an increase of TB, MRSA now Bird Flu what next for this country bubonic plague from the rats? It's time to clean up our act and get back to weekly collections.

Fred


Oxford Mail Latest from the Council

05.03.2007 23:15

 http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.1237165.0.three_strikes_threat_over_bin_bags.php

This is the latest info from a council that informed us that everyone was requesting a smaller wheelie bin because they would not have enough refuse to fill a larger one! We are now to be "punished"

Campaigner
mail e-mail: Oxfordweeklywaste@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://WWW.CROW.UK.COM


This person is wrong

19.03.2007 10:10

This person is wrong. Fortnightly collections DO NOT cause health issues. An in-depth study has been undertaken to research the effects of fortnightly collections. They conclude that there are NO health issues (see  http://www.enviros.com/PDF/Defra%20HIA%20Alternate%20Week%20Collections.pdf)

I am more likely to listen to science than scare mongering

Fortnightly collections are the BEST way of increasing recycling and saving this planet

Brian


Reply to Brian

29.03.2007 10:18


Cranfield University and Enviros Consulting Limited Report
DEFRA Waste Implementation Programme Wycombe District Council
Health Impact Assessment of Alternate Week Waste Collections of Biodegradable Waste

This report commissioned by Wycombe Council and DEFRA on the health impacts of alternate weekly waste collections suggests that there are no adverse effects of moving to this system. However on closer inspection the report is based on assumptions that all waste is stored in wheelie bins and ignores the problems encountered with refuse sacks and side waste (uncollected rubbish). Given that approximately 4500 Oxford households are going to be issued with lilac bags this report has little relevance for Oxford.

The report includes a flawed survey:

 Only 1.4% of those surveyed in shared accommodation
 No questions were asked about additional litter or flytipping two of the key consequences of this new system
 No consideration is given to areas with a high concentration of houses of multiple occupation

There are admissions that:
 Odours will increase in the second week of the collection
 Vermin will increase in numbers
 The numbers of flies will increase

But the report states:

“However there is no evidence in the literature to suggest that rodents or flies will necessarily increase with an alternate weekly collection, provided that the waste is stored in an appropriate container”

This does not address the real problems we are facing here in Oxford with piles of lilac sacks and black bags littering our streets.

Included in the report is the advice from the World Health Organization to collect waste weekly in temperate climates, and further advice recommending twice a week in warmer climates but this is ignored.

This report is a localised study with dodgy conclusions which ignore the evidence. It has no relevance for Oxford and needs to be treated with caution rather than enthusiasm.

Campaigner


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1687277.ece

23.04.2007 06:56

Times "Asthma link to late bin pickup"

Eric
mail e-mail: oxfordweeklywaste@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.crow.uk.com


http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/WeeklyRubbish/

26.04.2007 08:58

Sign the petition to Tony Blair.

Eric