Bin size reduction plans approved by Dartford Council cabinet (From News Shopper)

Bin size reduction plans approved by Dartford Council cabinet

9:46am Saturday 9th March 2013 in News By Tim MacFarlan, Bexley and north Kent reporter

Dartford Council leader Jeremy Kite admires one of the new slimline bins next to the larger one it will replace.

PLANS to reduce the size of household rubbish bins in Dartford have been approved at a council cabinet meeting.

The Big Bin Swap proposes to roll out waste bins with a capacity of 180-litres to the 36,000 houses – but not flats – Dartford Council collects waste from.

The 25 per cent downsizing, which will come into action between May and August this year, will see the current 240-litre bins replaced.

The £708,000 move - approved at a meeting on Thursday (March 7) - would give residents the option to retain their green 240-litre bin for other purposes but after a certain date, only the smaller bins will be collected by the council’s refuse team.

Dartford Council leader Jeremy Kite says he is pleased the council is keeping weekly collections until at least March 2017 and many residents’ bins have reached the end of their useful life so need replacing.

He said: “We are getting a lot of residents telling us they are being left with a lot of space inside their usual bins.

“There are some councils that will simply go to fortnightly bin collections as a way of increasing recycling rates.

“I think that is bullying and it is the wrong way to do it.

“We have to reduce the size of the bins to encourage people to recycle more.”

Labour group spokesman Cllr John Adams welcomed the move.

He said: “Downsizing the ordinary refuse bins is a way of encouraging more recycling and it's also worth noting that, in many cases, these bins are being used for relatively small amounts now.”

But Cllr Adams added: “The council needs to boost its recycling rates which, overall, are still poor compared to those of many other local authorities.”

The Big Bin Swap will now be voted on at a full council meeting.

If you live in Dartford, what do you think about plans to reduce the size of your waste bin? Comment below or tweet @NewsShopper