Borough green day (From Borehamwood Times)

Borough green day

4:39pm Thursday 12th October 2006 in News By Emma Hutchings

Forty-thousand new recycling boxes will have been delivered to households in Hertsmere by today.

The deliveries are in time for the borough council's new waste collection system - dubbed ABC, or Additional Bin Collections - which will begin on November 6.

Although the council announced the changes to the weekly collection in March, disquiet is growing among residents now the new black boxes have been delivered (see Letters, p8).

According to the council, almost every household should now have a black wheelie bin for unrecyclable rubbish, a black box for plastic bottles and cans, a green or brown wheelie bin for cardboard, food scrapings and garden waste and a blue box, with lid, for paper.

The bins will be emptied on a two-week cycle. Week one will be for the black wheelie bin and black box, week two for the green or brown wheelie bin and blue box mean there will be a two-week gap between collection of unrecyclables.

Council waste officers have been touring towns to show people how to use the various boxes.

Steve Burton, head of waste management, this week sought to allay residents' concerns.

He said: "As local authorities have introduced these changes to collections, concerns have initially been expressed about the health and hygiene implications of having a fortnightly collection, with particular reference to bad smells, maggots and vermin.

"It is not considered a health hazard to have a fortnightly collection of residual waste as the wheeled bins have a lid which, when closed, are sealed.

"As there is a more comprehensive collection of other materials, more of your rubbish will be separated and there should be less waste to collect from that bin.

"By rinsing recyclables and items used for food, smells can be kept to a minimum. In addition, you could put general rubbish in plastic bags before placing them in your black bin and by rinsing out your bin when necessary, either with water or a mild detergent solution."

He also said the black bins come without lids in order to make collection quicker.

He added: "The boxes are specially designed with drain holes to stop them filling with rainwater if you have to leave them outside during the week and it does not matter if the recyclables get wet."