Bridgnorth 'missing out' over food waste collections
A Bridgnorth councillor says a 'raw deal' on the collection of food waste in the town is leaving a bad taste in resident's mouths.
At meeting of Shropshire Council's place overview committee, Councillor Julia Buckley raised the question of why 25 per cent of Shropshire residents in the two market towns of Bridgnorth and Oswestry have been missing out on the food waste collection service while paying the same council tax as towns that do get the service.
She was told the situation dates back to the council's pre-unitary time in 2009 but that when contracts for waste collection were updated in 2016, the decision was based on geographic closeness and included Shrewsbury but not the more outlying towns of Bridgnorth and Oswestry.
Councillor Buckley claims Bridgnorth residents have been given a 'raw deal' again and that two of the most populous areas of the county outside Shrewsbury and Telford have been unfairly treated on the basis of geography.
She said: "All residents of Shropshire pay the same council tax, therefore the level of service across all residents must be equal or a reduction in service must be matched with a geographical reduction in council tax.
"Why is Bridgnorth one of only two places in the whole county that does not receive a collection service for food waste?
“Residents are rightly frustrated by this situation. Many are environmentally-minded residents which is evidenced by a number of well-supported groups in the town
"For householders this just feels plain unfair that we are paying a standard rate of council tax across Shropshire, but Bridgnorth is once again receiving a sub-standard service.
"I will be making enquiries as to whether it is lawful to exclude rural communities from service provision in this way. The very least we deserve is a council tax rebate for the service we have been denied. "
The county council website stated this week that provision for food waste collection services for Bridgnorth and Oswestry would be 'coming soon'.
In answer to Councillor Buckley's question at the meeting, Shropshire Council provided a written statement, which said: "At the moment food waste is not collected with garden waste in the former Shropshire district council areas of Bridgnorth and Oswestry but the IVC (In Vessel Composting) plant is operating at full capacity and with no scope to increase.
"The garden waste collected in Oswestry and Bridgnorth is processed at a windrow facility near Shifnal but there is no scope to convert this site to an IVC plant.
"Both our contractors Veolia and Shropshire Council have been searching for a site to build our own IVC with sufficient capacity to process all of the food/garden waste collected in the county.
"So far this search has been unsuccessful, although many sites have been considered they could not be developed either due to their size, access issues, or proximity to housing which would result in difficulties gaining planning permission or an environmental permit."
