Time is of the essence if you want Brighton and Hove City Council to fall in line with so many other local authorities and have a collection service for green garden waste.

The Older People’s Council (OPC) has submitted a paper to the current waste management strategy consultation urging the need for such a service. It has done a great deal of research into the subject and can prove that if a charge is made for those wishing to use the collection then no impact is made on council tax. The charge normally made is in the region of £30 to £50 a year for a fortnightly collection using a large wheelie bin.

It is interesting to note that Windsor and Maidenhead recently asked their waste collectors Veolia – the same company used for waste disposal in this city – to run a scheme. This rapidly exceeded the stage one total of 3,500 subscribers.

This is a service the city’s older people really need. All that is required is for councillors to give the go-ahead.

If you support the OPC’s campaign there is still time to ring 01273 292929 and they will send you a copy of the consultation document.

The council appears to have ignored the issue because there is no question regarding a green waste collection in this document, but you can indicate your view in the open space under question 16. The closure date for consultation has been changed and is now Friday, August 28.

Bob Gunnell
member of Brighton and Hove Older People’s Council
Wayland Avenue, Brighton