Twin bins go even further (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Twin bins go even further

FORTNIGHTLY rubbish collections will be introduced in three more west Wiltshire towns by next spring, as green bins for household waste are given to 30,000 more homes.

The council wants to have 52,000 homes in west Wiltshire using the twin-bin and black box recycling schemes within the next six months.

An estimated 30,000 homes in Warminster, Westbury and Bradford on Avon will be issued with a green bin, while another 12,000 black boxes, for paper, glass and cans, will be distributed.

Trowbridge and Melksham already have both recycling schemes in operation and black box recycling is operating in parts of Warminster, Westbury and Bradford on Avon.

Under the twin-bin scheme, household rubbish and compostable or green waste will be collected in alternate weeks.

Cllr Rosemary Brown, the portfolio holder responsible for recycling, has vowed the scheme will help the district meet stringent recycling targets and promised any hitches would be dealt with as soon as possible,

She said: "I hope this will run very smoothly. We have a system set up to deal with any inquiries. People might be worried because they don't like change but we cannot carry on as we are. I think people do want to make a positive contribution."

Cllr Brown said did not anticipate problems experienced by her opposite number at North Wiltshire District Council.

Cllr Sylvia Doubell has offered to resign in May if patchy collection systems are not sorted out in the district. Councillors have splashed out £50,000 on a consultant to resolve overloaded collection routes and the problem of trucks unable to squeeze through narrow village streets.

A spokesman for West Wiltshire District Council said Hills Waste and Cleanaway have been working together to draw up manageable collection routes.

The twin-bins will be delivered in Warminster during November, Westbury in the New Year and Bradford on Avon in the spring.

Black boxes will be distributed to villages surrounding the three towns during the same time period.

The council spokesman said it was impossible for the recycling schemes to cover 100 per cent of the district. Households included in the fortnightly collections will be receiving a leaflet through the post.