The Kilburn Times is carrying a hostile story on Brent Council's garden waste collections. Paul Lorber gives a lengthy comment which entirely ignores the fact that the Council is having its budget slashed by the Liberal democrats in government.
The main point of attack is the cost of bin disposal. This subject deserved greater scrutiny than it got last year. It seems the take up of the new garden service is very low, and therefore a large number of the old bins will be taken in. Those that are not needed can presumably be melted down, which potentially will yield a profit for someone. A number are to be retained on the assumption that the service expands over time, in which case the Council will have to go through the cost and process of cleaning them before using them again.
Another point is the design of rounds, which will be more complicated in streets where only a few households are covered. In the present collections, it is normal for the crew to walk ahead of the vehicle, putting the bins out ready to be loaded. With a very low take up, I would assume this would not be possible, and some probably more cumbersome method will have to be devised.
What a pity that all this was not talked through when the decision was being made.
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