Recycling – the good, the bad and the ugly

In the Rotten Bororough of Rushmoor, an unholy alliance has been formed between New-Labour sycophant Keith Dibble and the far-Right Tories who control the council.

The attack on Peter Sandy by Keith Dibble, as reported in the local press, is seen as puerile, childish and pathetic. [Aldershot Mail, 6 February 2007]

Councillors have two important roles, careful scrutiny of what officials put before them and representing the views of their constituents.

Unlike either Peter Sandy or David Clifford, it would seem that Dibble is incapable of either.

Were Dibble to be out and about, he might actually know what is going in.

Recycling is being used by the council as an excuse to cut services. If Dibble cannot see that, then he is not fit to be a councillor, as he is not doing his job properly.

Fortnightly collection of refuse has problems of smells, flies, maggots and rats.

The World Health Organisation has warned that in a temperate climate such as England, on health grounds alone, refuse should be collected weekly.

We are no longer experiencing a temperature climate, in case Dibble has not noticed, it is getting warmer. The last ten years have been the hottest on record. With hot dry summers, warm wet winters, we are starting to experience a Mediterranean climate.

National Pest Technicians Association has warned of an increase in rats. According to their latest survey, we have experienced a 69% increase in rats. NPTA attribute this to councils reducing their waste collection service to fortnightly and fast food takeaways, as promoted by Gerald Howarth MP, Member for Aldershot.

Apart from a handful of councillors of the mindset of Dibble, there is not a single person in Aldershot or Farnborough who is in favour of a reduction in refuse collection. Indeed, people are extremely angry that at a time when they see their council tax rising year on year above inflation, they are seeing a cut in services.

If you want to know what the public want, you ask them. A novel idea in the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor. It is not necessary to conduct a six month so-called experiment to learn whether or not we wish to see a reduction in refuse collection service from weekly to fortnightly.

In the same newspaper report, Roland Dibbs, the councillor responsible for the cut in services, mentions poorly performing councils. He needs to look no further than his own performance. Rushmoor is down there with the worst performing councils. The abysmal levels of recycling in Rushmoor differ by only a few percentage points from the worst performing councils in the country.

The target set by Rushmoor of 40% by 2010, is equally abysmal.

A common factor among all the badly performing councils, Tower Hamlets, Nottingham and Rushmoor, is the arrogant contempt councillors and officials have for the public.

Letters to Dibbs from concerned residents, have been ignored. Letters to David Quirk, official responsible for the crass policy, get an arrogant reply. Residents in the ward of Dibble ask why he is not talking to them about these policies and listening to their concerns.

Contrast the performance of Rushmoor with North Kesteven which as the best performing council in the country achieves a 51.5% recycling rate.

We would all like to see an improvement in the pathetic recycling rates achieved by this and other useless councils. You achieve a better performance by working with the public and listening to what they have to say, by having a simple system, by providing clear instructions as to what goes in each bin.

All of which is done in North Kesteven, which is may be why they achieve a 51.5% recycling rate and Rushmoor does not.

Instead of attending council brainwashing sessions to reinforce the group mindset, Peter Sandy has taken the trouble with the help of local residents to properly research the subject, to get out and about and talk with local people. Something neither Dibble nor Dibbs have troubled to do, which no doubt explains their vicious attacks on Peter Sandy.

Far from being irresponsible, Peter Sandy has highlighted the legitimate concerns of the local community and has properly srcutinised a crass policy which has been found wanting. In that, he is doing his job as a councillor, which is more than either Dibble or Dibbs are doing.

In attacking Peter Sandy, who is simply highlighting the concerns of the local community, Dibble is in reality attacking the local community. Something that will not be forgotten should he stand for reelection.

web

 http://www.letsrecycle.com/info/localauth/league/2005ranked.jsp
 http://www.thetruthinrushmoor.co.uk/
 http://www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/
 http://www.npta.org.uk/

References

Jon Beresford, Nottingham City Council Recycling .. .... Bottom of the Class again!, Indymedia Nottingham, 3 January 2007
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2007/01/359240.html

Kate Evans, Funny Weather, Myriad Editions, 2006
 http://www.heureka.clara.net/books/funny-weather.htm

Labour Party juggles with recycling rate in run up to local election, Indymedia UK, 31 January 2007
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/01/361220.html

Marcus Mabberley, Councillors ally to fight bin scheme, Farnborough Mail, 30 January 2007

Marcus Mabberley, 'Councillor's bin campaign is reckless', Aldershot Mail, 6 February 2007

James Newall, New life as hangover hill gets massive makeover, Lincolnshire Echo, 30 December 2006
 http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=156153&command=displayContent&sourceNode=156136&contentPK=16292008&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=filtersearch

NPTA National Rodent Survey Report 2006, NPTA, January 2007
 http://www.npta.org.uk/assets/documents/RodentReportJan07.pdf

Keith Parkins, Curitiba – Designing a sustainable city, April 2006
 http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/curitiba.htm

Keith Parkins, Alternate Bin Collections, Indymedia UK, 13 November 2006
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/11/355923.html?c=on

Keith Parkins, It's just rubbish, letters, Surrey-Hants Star, 16 November 2006

Keith Parkins, Rushmoor fortnightly bin collection, Indymedia UK, 17 November 2006
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/11/356166.html?c=on

Keith Parkins, Fortnightly collection of bins has nothing to do with recycling, letters, Farnborough News, 1 December 2006

Keith Parkins, A load of rubbish, Indymedia UK, 12 December 2006
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/12/358225.html

Keith Parkins, Failing councils are creating gravy trains for consultants, Indymedia UK, 12 December 2006
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/12/358589.html

Keith Parkins, Recycling – a tale of two councils, Indymedia UK, 5 January 2007
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/01/359341.html?c=on

Keith Parkins, Fortnightly rubbish collection creating a plague of rats, Indymedia UK, 8 January 2007
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/01/359493.html

Keith Parkins, MP promotes junk food, Indymedia UK, 17 January 2007
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/01/360187.html?c=on

Keith Parkins, MP yet again pictured promoting McDonald's, Indymedia UK, 19 January 2007
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/01/360389.html?c=on