Derbyshire Dales District Council are investigating ways of meeting the significant funding short falls that will arise from government cuts and are currently seeking input on proposals to charge for replacement bins and for plastic refuse bags, click here for more details. They are conducting an online survey which runs upto the 30th of September (click here to participate in their survey).
We encourage all readers to participate in the District Council survey, but thought it would be interesting to also ask some additional questions here:
Blog Team members, when discussing this post, felt that Derbyshire Dales offers an excellent waste collection and recycling service, which compares well with other Authorities, and they respond well to any disruption to collections. What do you think?
Replacement refuse and recycling containers cost the Council some £28,000 per year.
Providing the free black refuse sacks and biodegradable garden waste bags to households not using wheelie bins cost £30,000 pa.
The Council also provide the bio-degradable food waste bags free to households
Do you have any other suggestions for improving the waste and recycling collection services?
Please add any thoughts or ideas on other possible cost savings measures in relation to waste/recycling collections as comments below.
We will send the above poll results and any comments to the District Council before the end of the consultation on 30th of September, but it is import if you want your views to be considered that you also complete the Council’s own online survey (click here to participate in their survey).
If you currently need to replace a missing waste/recycling container you can phone the District Council or order on line at http://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/environment-and-waste/bins-recycling/order-newreplacement-container
PARWICH.ORG 
I recently got a replacement green bin as the old one was cracked down the side. Unfortunately the old one hasn’t been collected so that is a bit of a problem.
Charging for replacement bins, does not actually save money in total as the bins still have to be paid for by someone. At present we all pay a small share of the cost of replacement bins, through our council tax. If householders are directly charged for damaged or lost bins this just means that fewer people pay a larger amount. But in this situation there is also an additional cost in establishing who is responsible for any loss or damage, as well as the cost of administering a charging system.
Shifting the cost of replacements onto individual householders also raises the near impossiblity of establishing who is responsible for any loss or damage. As the poll is showing, overwhelmingly problems arise on collection day, while bins are out on the street. How much will the complex process of allocating responsibility for loss or damage cost?
Unless you watch over your bin or have cctv, it is generally not possible to say what happens, or to say with certainty, the bin returned was the one put out.
Personally I would rather pay a small share of the loss of all bins, rather than have a system that potentially causes arguments and ill will between householders and the council, or between householders and the companies collecting the waste/recycling or between neighbours.