Councillors warned they face opposition on bin changes

COUNCILLORS are being warned that switching to fortnightly black bin collections in Hull could run into "significant public opposition".

To date Hull Council has resisted going down a path already adopted by other local authorities, but budgetary pressures and increasing recycling rates has led to the proposed change.

However some residents have expressed fears that leaving rubbish so long will attract vermin and a report to a meeting of the Cabinet on December 20 says it could lead to isolated fly-tipping.

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The Cabinet is being given five options with the option of fortnightly collections of black, brown and blue bins being the only one which would lead to job losses.

Labour Group leader Steve Brady said his area committee backed a fortnightly black bin round – but with a weekly pick-up for blue bins. He said: "Obviously you can put virtually anything in the blue bins so they are overflowing every time they are collected. We put our black bins out about once every month, because very little goes in there."

Other changes on the cards include charging for collecting bulky waste, saving 322,000, no longer collecting textiles and reducing the number of community recycling facilities at sites like schools and supermarkets, as the amount collected has been steadily falling.

According to a report to the Cabinet, adopting fortnightly collections would lead to 18 job losses and save 1m. Up to 11 others could go in total from the other services.

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A report says most would come by cutting agency staff, but adds: "There will be the need to engage in union consultation with regard to displacement of staff and potential redeployment or redundancies."

Changes to the waste collection service last winter have been a big success, pushing the council's recycling rates well over its 45 per cent target. In September 49 per cent of the city's household waste was recycled, compared to last September when it was just 28 per cent.