Waste Collections Vote

There is currently a critical public vote being carried out by Cornwall County Council.  Essentially it's a simple either/or choice and it relates to the way that Cornwall handles the waste coming out of your home.  The challenge for us as householders is how much do we think about the bigger picture?

Option A: 
Option A would mean that your black bag waste would be picked up weekly, your kitchen waste would be separately collected also on a weekly basis and every fortnight the council will pick up your recycling.

Option B: 
Would see kitchen waste and recycling picked up weekly and black bag waste picked up fortnightly

Now whilst it might be instinctive to immediately think how this effects us personally, it is worth considering the bigger picture. 

The Council are trying to harmonize all the waste collection services in Cornwall which could save a considerable amount of money in tough times.  With dwindling landfill space, fines for missing landfill targets and the impending decision on the incinerator, it has never been more important to maximise recycling and reuse rates and minimise what we consume.  If we incur additional cost due to missed waste minimisation targets it not only wastes tax payers money but also gives the argument for the incinerator in Cornwall more justification, as a way to deal with the vast quantities of waste that we produce.

Having our waste collected fortnightly could really encourage people to think about how they can reduce the waste that they produce, whether it is by making a conscious effort to only buy things which are needed, to buy items with reduced packaging or to repair or reuse items.