Did anyone watch the Channel 4 Dispatches programme last night about fortnightly rubbish collections? I was already opposed to the idea and that just completely confirmed my suspicions. Dispatches set out to investigate whether the nation’s grievances about fortnightly collections are justified. Their aim was to discover whether a reduction in service is essential to increase recycling rates, as the government claims, or if it is likely to cause health concerns.
I have to confess, I haven’t watched the whole thing yet because I went to bed, but it was enough to put me off fortnightly collections for life. One woman living in Oxford had kept a photographic record of bin bags strewn across the streets, spewing forth rubbish. It was especially bad in housing where the residents did not have front gardens because bags were spilling out everywhere.
A rat collector proudly declared that since the change to fortnightly rubbish collections he has had more business. The residents in one particular area complained about the increasing numbers of rats. One of them said she wondered what the stench outside was, until she discovered a dead rotting rat.
An environmental consultant declared that there was no evidence to suggest that fortnightly rubbish collections would cause any ill effects on people’s health and put forward the government’s argument of a 30% increase in recycling. However one lady complained that it was causing her to recycle less, because her recycling bin was overflowing and she was forced to put the rest of her recyclable rubbish in the regular refuse bin.
Although studies in the UK have proved inconclusive, studies in Norway and the Canada have shown that rubbish collected less frequently can cause health problems. In some other European countries, such as Spain, rubbish is collected every night. I much prefer this option!
From: BEST OF 2008: Eco-friendy and sustainable shoes