Minister's rebuke for Rotherham Council over bin shake-up

Environment Minister Therese Coffey (pictured) wrote to Rotherham Borough Council urging the authority to rethink its decision not to propose kerbside plastic pick-ups as part of a major waste collection shake-up.

The council’s bin collection consultation runs until today.

Keeping the current arrangements would leave Rotherham as the only borough on the UK mainland from April where plastic is not collected alongside paper, cans and glass.

The council is currently consulting on a revamp which it hopes will save £1 million a year, with small black bins for household waste and a bigger recycling bin, but has stopped short of including plastic in the list of materials to be collected.

Ms Coffey said: “We have made it clear in our 25-year plan for the environment that reusing and recycling plastics is critical if we are to stem the damage to our seas and wider natural environment, and we need all parts of society and all sectors of the economy to play their part. 

“I would strongly urge Rotherham Council to rethink its approach to the collection of plastic waste from households, to improve both the quantity and quality that is recycled and make it as easy as possible for residents to recycle from the kerbside.”

Damien Wilson, the council’s strategic director for regeneration and environment, said: “I can confirm that we have received the Minister’s letter, which we will be considering alongside all the other consultation responses before the council makes its final decision about future waste collection arrangements.”