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28/04/08 : Labour attacks Tory hypocrisy on waste
Labour Reading is able to celebrate now it is recycling about 40% of its waste, a figure which will soon rise as the new waste centre comes fully on stream and Green Cones are rolled out across the Borough.
“Meanwhile,” says Environment Lead Councillor Steve Waite, “Tory West Berkshire is only managing to recycle a pitiful 22% of its waste, and is having to resort to panic measures, including not only alternate weekly collections but also five waste receptacles for every resident, to try and get recycling properly under way. They’re saying they will collect food waste separately, but not saying that as they can’t dispose of it separately they will be remixing it with their domestic waste and putting it into landfill: a double cost whammy for their residents.
“By this time next year, Reading’s element of waste to landfill be as low as 35%, as opposed to over 60% in Tory West Berkshire,” he claims.
“And yet, Reading West Conservatives are distributing leaflets in Reading criticising Reading’s waste collections, their parliamentary candidate has been sounding off, and Reading Tory leader Andrew Cumpsty has attacked our introduction of alternate collections - without however promising to reverse it if he came to power.
“Failing to look ahead, West Berkshire declined to join Reading, Bracknell and Wokingham in developing the PFI scheme at Smallmead. But their residents are coming to Smallmead now as the West Berkshire Tories have cut the opening hours at their own site at Pinchingon Lane: it’s costing us a packet and something we will have to bit a stop to!
Cllr. Waite concludes: "It’s not surprising that West Berkshire Tories are following our lead in moving to alternate collections as Reading currently recycles nearly double the amount they do. West Berkshire are not only way behind Reading in recycling but they’re costing their taxpayers a fortune in landfill tax and damaging the environment. Too many Tories are sceptical about climate change and they just aren’t up to taking the major decisions needed to secure our future.”
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