New bin charges

Unlike many authorities across the country, the Council has traditionally issued free waste bins to householders but in the face of a mounting bill for replacements feels that it can now longer afford to do this, particularly as now it offers a far more complex recycling service with more containers.  

Last year Rotherham provided over 25,000 replacement waste containers free of charge. This is a much higher number than other councils of the same size and cost the taxpayer over £200,000.

From November (2010) developers and management companies of newly-built properties and developments will be charged for their first set of waste containers that are supplied.

For an overall charge of £57 including delivery, new properties will each receive a 240 litre black bin, a 240 litre green bin, a blue box and a blue bag.

Existing households will be charged £22 for a 240 litre black residual wheeled bin, which can be collected from the depot at Hellaby. A further £8 will be charged for delivery.

The Council will NOT be charging for any replacement recycling containers such as green waste bins, blue boxes or blue bags. All Rothercard holders will get a 50 per cent discount and there will also be exemptions on some replacement black bins.

Exemptions that will incur no charge include replacement bins that have been set alight; stolen bins if a police incident number is provided; the extra 140 litre black wheeled bins for families of five or more; and black bins that have been damaged during the actual collection operation.

Cllr Richard Russell, the Council's Cabinet Member responsible for waste, said that the authority simply cannot continue to provide all waste containers free of charge.

He added: "Unfortunately, we cannot continue providing free residual waste bins. It is regrettable that we are having to introduce the £22 replacement charge but if we want to continue with our collections and improve our recycling rate we will have to make this charge.

"Rotherham's residents have responded brilliantly to our recycling campaign. The borough now recycles 42 per cent of its household waste and we are doing everything we can to make that a more efficient and cost-effective operation, such as using new multi-collection vehicles, but we need to continue that increase our recycling rates to continue to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

"We provided over 25,000 free replacement waste containers last year. This equates to 1 in 8 households having a container replaced each year, which costs us a huge amount of money and it just cannot be sustained.

"However, if there are genuine reasons for the need for a replacement, such as being stolen, fired or damaged, then the free replacement will still apply."

Last year the authority reached a recycling rate of 42 per cent by providing a wide range of refuse and recycling services across the borough.  Black bins take residual waste; green bins take green waste and cardboard; blue boxes collect cans, bottles, aluminium foil, shoes and textile recycling and blue bags collect waste paper.

The authority also provides 54 'bring banks' across Rotherham and has four Household Waste Recycling Centres.