Households could be set for fortnightly bin collections, after
research shows no adverse health impact. Ministers have
signalled support for alternate weekly rubbish and recycling
collections, claiming it would encourage more households to
recycle and reduce waste. Research published today by the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) shows
pilot schemes experienced no adverse health risks from
fortnightly waste collections and common sense measures can
prevent any possible increase in odours or insects. Environment
minister Ben Bradshaw welcomed the research, adding schemes
appear to work well as long as the public are informed
sufficiently in advance of changes. He said: "Collecting
recyclables one week and residual waste the following week has
increased the amount of recycling in places where this change
has been made. "Recycling is a vital part of our battle against
dangerous climate change - the equivalent of taking three and a
half million cars off our roads." Paul Bettison, chairman