29.08.14
DCLG launches controversial £5m recycling fund
A new £5m recycling fund is being made available to councils offering weekly bin collections, the DCLG has announced today.
According to the government, the extra funding will help local authorities increase their recycling rates, by giving incentives – such as shopping vouchers and loyalty rewards – to households that recycle.
However, local authorities that only offer fortnightly collections will not be eligible for the funding.
The move comes as the Deregulation Bill before Parliament is set to abolish powers that have hit households with bin fines for breaching waste rules in the past.
When launching the new fund, communities secretary Eric Pickles said: “It is a myth that fortnightly bin collections or unfair bin fines are needed to increase recycling.
“Rewards for recycling show how working with families can deliver environmental benefits without the draconian approach of punishing people and leaving out smelly rubbish.
“There is an alternative to the town hall bin barons who pushed through fortnightly bin collections and are now trying to move to monthly bin collections by stealth.”
The fund was welcomed by GreenRedeem, which runs recycling incentive schemes, as a “step in the right direction” towards helping the UK meet its waste targets.
Bids to the fund close on 7 November 2014. Successful bids will be announced in January 2015 and the money will be paid from April 2015.
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