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We know today is March 31st but didn’t want to send this out on 1st April !!
The New Waste Collection Service
Last month one of the most visited parts of our website was the outline description of the new waste collection procedures due to start here in October 2012. Such was the interest and level of comment that we asked Cllr Colin Bungey to voice his concerns on behalf of the many residents who have contacted him and us. After each such comment we have also included a response by Councillor Margaret Phipps:
Comments from Councillor Colin Bungey (CCB) are followed by
Responses from Councillor Margaret Phipps (CMP)
CCB - The number of different bins required is excessive and I think will lead to some confusion in our elderly residents.
CMP - The standard ‘recycle for Dorset’ service will have the same number of containers as the service currently operating in the St Catherine’s Hill/Hurn trial area (instead of the reusable bag for paper there will be a small 23 litre container for food). The public satisfaction in the trial area (which includes elderly residents) is higher than in other parts of the Borough.
CCB - There is also the problem that not all properties will have room for three large wheelie bins plus a large box for glass and two food containers.
CMP - Only residents who choose to pay for the garden waste service will have three wheelie bins. The box that residents will use is the same box that they currently use. If it is not possible to use wheelie bins because of the layout of a property, residents will be able to use bags and additional boxes instead of wheelie bins
CCB - For large families a fortnightly collection might be a problem.
CMP - Large families (5 or more), or residents with medical conditions that generate additional waste will be able to have a larger residual waste bin. Now that we will be collecting a wider range of plastics (bottles, pots, tubs and trays) the capacity required for residual waste will be even lower.
CCB - I think that the proposed charge of £35 or £38 for the fortnightly collection of the garden waste bin is excessive unless you have a large garden. This could lead to the dumping of garden rubbish and/or a growth in the number of bonfires around Christchurch. Currently as you know there is the option of buying the paper bags as and when you need them that are collected weekly. That option will no longer be available to people with small gardens.
CMP - Charged garden waste services have proved popular across the country with no reports of increases in fly tipping. Residents can opt for a lower cost (£25/annum) reusable garden waste bag that they could share with their neighbours if they only have an occasional use for it. The annual charge for the bin is £35
CCB - I am also concerned about the possible visual blight on the streets of our wonderful Borough if rows of unsightly bins are left on the pavements all day whilst people are at work.
CMP - This has not been identified as a problem in the St Catherine’s/Hurn trial area. The colour of the wheelie bins (dark grey body with dark grey, green or brown lids) has been chosen to reduce their visual impact
CCB - I, along with most residents I am sure, am in favour of carrying out as much recycling as we can both to help the environment and to save money on the council tax. However I believe in the government’s policy that weekly collections with a simple system of one recycling bin and one household rubbish bin would lead to less confusion and thus gain greater support from local residents
CMP - A system with one bin for residual waste and one bin for recycling would result in most food waste being landfilled (which would generate large amounts of damaging methane gas). Also we would not be able to collect glass at the kerbside with a two bin system as the new Waste Regulations that will be introduced this summer will not allow recyclables to be collected together if that method reduces the quality of the materials collected. It would be virtually impossible to comply with this requirement if glass was collected in the same bin as paper. For information, the new service will also be able to collect mixed plastics, which include rigid plastic food packaging such as yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, meat trays and fruit punnets. This will be the first time such items have ever been collected for recycling in Christchurch. I would also like to point out that the new service is now the official policy of every Borough and District Council in Dorset, with ‘Councils Working Together’ as the Dorset Waste Partnership. This should in the long term provide considerable cost savings for Christchurch, as well as a much enhanced service to residents, whilst also being of great benefit to the environment from increased recycling and less waste going to landfill. I am hopeful that residents, as well as Members and Organisations representing them, can be positive about the new scheme. It is our intention to make the service better.
So, what do you think? If you go the website www.wcresidents.co.uk and click on Dorset Waste you’ll find we’ve given you the chance to have your say.
Also, The Dorset Waste Partnership is running a road show at St Catherine’s Hill Community Hall, Marlow Drive on Monday 2nd April between 1.00pm and 5.30pm, repeated at Wilverley Road Recycling Centre Tuesday 3rd April 10.00am to 2.00pm
That Wind Farm
As you probably know plans are afoot to build a huge wind farm at Navitus Bay, 8 miles south of Christchurch and the same distance from The Needles and Durlston Head.
The targeted generating capacity is 1200 megawatts, which if achieved would make it the largest offshore wind farm in the world. 250 turbines are proposed, some of them over 200 meters high (Salisbury Cathedral spire is 123 meters high). There will be 4 offshore substations (they look like oil rigs) linked to 6 cables on the seabed that will make landfall between Chewton Bunny and Milford on Sea. These cables will go to a new substation north of Christchurch and that will be connected to the National Grid at Mannington near Three Legged Cross.
The potential effect of all of this upon the local environment will be major.
The company behind the scheme (Eneco – a Dutch power company) have produced a scoping report and the Infrastructure Planning Commission (the body with statutory oversight) has published the responses made by relevant statutory bodies. These can be summarised as follows:
Lymington Parish Council and Lyndhurst Parish Council – strongly opposed
Bournemouth Council – not good for tourism
Christchurch Borough Council – no comment
We asked CBC Chief Executive David McIntosh why CBC had not responded. Here’s his reply:
Several people have raised this issue with us however I believe there is a degree of misunderstanding about the purpose of the scoping report. It sets out the areas that Eneco will cover in their application. We reviewed the report and were happy that it covered all of the issues that we would expect to see in such a document.
When the application is submitted we will be consulted and we will then be in a position to consider this fully and formally at committee and then respond to the IPC. The application will be supported by documents such as Environmental Impact Statements which will allow us to make an educated response to the project. We are continuing to meet with Eneco on a regular basis.
Police Message
There have been three local break-ins recently. It appears the thief rings the bell and if somebody is in they make the excuse that they are collecting for a charity. If nobody is at home they try to break in. Please challenge any such callers by asking for identification which shows their charity and displays their picture. If they do not have appropriate identification make a mental note of what they looked like and let us know. We will inform the appropriate police representative who may be able to show you pictures of known felons who operate in this area.
In another scam that is active at the moment someone telephones and says for a small fee they will block all your spam e-mail. People who agree to take up the service give the fraudsters their debit card details which the criminals then use to pilfer money from their bank account.
News in Brief
We had an excellent meeting with CBC to discuss the Localism Act 2011. There are still more questions than answers but we are jointly making slow progress in gaining an understanding of this legislation.
There’s a meet-the-local-police meeting in the Marlow Drive car park on Wednesday 4th April between 6.00pm and 7.00pm
The Airport has a new General Manager, Paul Knight. Most regional airports are struggling with Durham and Newquay particularly badly affected. The controversial £2.50 charge will continue for at least one more year.
The latest ACRA and WCRA minutes are on the website www.wcresidents.co.uk
Our Membership Subscription
Our subs remain at £1 per household for 2012-13 and collections will start this month.
If you could help us by collecting a pound from your fellow residents, do please get in touch.
Without our collectors we would go out of business and we could do with a few new recruits.
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