Armoury out in the war on waste

By John Andrew
Local government correspondent, BBC News

Leaving bags by the wheelie bin? Sutton will not take them

As taxes to dump rubbish in landfill soar, one council is rolling out new weapons to encourage recycling in the war on waste.

The London borough of Sutton recycles just over 30% of its domestic waste - one of the best rates in the capital.

It aims to reach 40% by 2010 and believes the sharp increase in landfill tax will concentrate minds even more.

"It's a serious pressure for local people," says Councillor Colin Hall, lead member on the environment.

"Over three years the landfill tax escalator equates to around £210 that they'll be expected to pay in extra council tax if we don't do something about the way we collect waste."

Wheelie limit

So what is Sutton doing?

Unlike many other councils, it has decided against taking the controversial route of collecting general rubbish only once a fortnight and alternating it with collections of recyclables.

Despite a successful trial, there was public resistance when the council tried to roll it out across the borough.

But there are other tools in the armoury.

From June, it plans to phase out the collection of any bags left next to the wheelie bin - what is known as "side waste".

The council will only take what is in the bin, although as in many other councils, large families can ask for a bigger bin.

One refuse crew told me that while most people were keen when it came to recycling they expected "a bit of aggro" from some residents who feel that because they pay council tax, they should have all their rubbish collected.

Greener gardens?

The current free service for collecting garden waste will end.

Households will have to pay a yearly charge of £35 and use a biodegradable bag issued by the council.

The idea is to encourage more home composting.

The council has also been trialling weekly collections of food waste in Sutton and two neighbouring boroughs.

The waste is sent for processing in Dorset, where it is turned into compost.

It will also team up with three other boroughs to get a better deal on contracts for waste disposal.

This includes commissioning a plant for the mechanical, biological treatment of waste - a process that separates and composts food waste.

Sutton is also considering the use of anaerobic digestion processes to capture the gases from food waste and create energy for sale to local businesses.