Published at 11:09, Thursday, 26 July 2012

SOME families who currently qualify for a large wheelie bin will no longer be eligible under the council’s new proposals.

Currently, families with five or more permanent residents are eligible for a bin that’s 50 per cent larger than normal.

The council proposes to raise this threshold to six and, in keeping with some other councils, is considering introducing a one-off charge for those who use the large bin service.

It proposes that a household can apply for a large (30-litre) bin if it meets the following criteria:

six or more permanent residents

five permanent residents (including one under the age of three)

four permanent residents (including two under the age of three)

a medical condition which produces non-infectious clinical waste

Families in receipt of large bins will have their status reviewed annually.

Copeland says that its refuse vehicles can service 600 standard bins in one load, but only 400 larger ones.

They also cost more to provide.

It says: “The original eligibility criteria were introduced in 2003, before the introduction of kerbside recycling (of plastic and cardboard), which is an important way of reducing the amount of waste going into black bins.

“Recycling facilities are now more prevalent and we also know that many other authorities successfully use the six-in-the-household criteria.”

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk