I am writing in response to recent correspondence in the News Shopper's Letters page concerning the Council's proposals that householders will have to place their waste for collection at the front of their property.

The Council's recent decision to ask householders to place their waste at the front of their property, but not on the footway or verge, was taken in response to the significant rise in the waste management costs faced Council Tax payers in the borough.

This increase is due to the growing cost of sending waste to landfill and also legislation imposing targets for re-ducing the quantity sent to landfill and increasing the amount we recycle. The cost of the service also reflects the recent and worrying rise (over 5% a year) in the quantity of waste produced by Bromley's householders.

More than half the Borough's residents already place their waste at the front of their property. This is normal practice in many other local authorities. Naturally, special arrangements will be made to help infirm or disabled residents who are unable to put their waste out at the front of their property.

In addition to the cost-savings, collections will also be made more quickly creating less disruption to local traffic.

The proposals bring into line the collection of normal refuse with the recycling collections which are already col-lected on a front-of-property basis and which will be extended to include glass, plastics, and cans next year.

Lastly there will be no changes before the end of next year and I can assure residents that nothing will happen until local circumstances have been checked and householders individually notified of the new arrangements.

John Woodruff

Waste Services Manager

December 5, 2001 13:04