Labour's Rubbish Recycling Will Cost Us Heaps

4.18.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 4th Dec 2007

Lib Dems are demanding that the council improve its recycling rates

Labour's hopelessly stalled recycling performance is not only bad for the environment but will cost us all heaps more money, according to a report seen by Liberal Democrats.

During the four years that the Lib Dems were in charge of Lambeth between 2002 and 2006 the borough's recycling rocketed from Labour's dismal 8% to around 21%, well ahead of the Government's target. Since Labour came to power eighteen months ago recycling rates have flatlined and are currently barely above that figure.

Now a new Government tax on Councils sending waste to landfill sites is set to cost Lambeth taxpayers an extra £1 million next year alone. Under the scheme £8 will be charged for every tonne of rubbish sent to landfill. Even Labour calculates that this could cost Lambeth taxpayers a whopping £7 million between now and 2010.

Labour politicians have recently been putting out spin trying to blame people for not recycling more. But what have they been doing?

News reaches us that Labour plans to charge residents for bulky refuse collections that we always provided for free. Labour of course wants to charge up to £20 to take away an old sofa or broken fridge. This short-sighted approach, though, is likely to encourage fly-tipping in our streets and open spaces which is not only unsightly but dangerous - remember all the warnings about small children becoming trapped in abandoned chest freezers?

Liberal Democrats also introduced the hugely successful orange sack system for easy recycling that has proved so convenient and popular and the equally successful green garden waste service using special degradable bags. Now there are even more ugly rumours circulating that Labour wants to charge for these orange sacks as well.

Is nothing sacred to these money-grabbing Labour politicians who only pretend to be green? Green? They think you are.