AN ESTIMATED 3,000 households in the borough will face a longer walk with their wheelie bins under new measures to help the environment and save public funds.
Next month, Rugby Borough Council (RBC) will write to all households affected by proposals to stop collecting rubbish from private lanes, alleyways and long rural driveways.
Bins will instead be collected from the edge of the pavement or kerbside – the normal collection point for most households in Rugby.
The plan, part of RBC’s budget which was approved last month, means the council will no longer need a narrow waste collection vehicle in its fleet.
It could save £125,000 per year by reducing fleet mileage, increasing fuel efficiency and reducing the potential to damage off-road access tracks.
The council estimates the change may affect 2,000 properties served by alleyways in urban areas, and up to 1,000 rural or village properties with long private drives.
RBC environment and public realm spokeswoman Coun Lisa Parker said: “We cannot ignore the environmental and financial benefits of making this change.
“Collecting rubbish and recycling from the pavement or kerbside is something that most households have been used to for many years.
“I do recognise this change may make things more difficult for some householders, either because of a disability that will make it difficult for them to move their bin to the new collection point, or because of some local factor that might make the proposal dangerous or otherwise impractical.
“We will therefore write to all affected households in early April, both to inform them of the change and to ask for feedback on how they will be affected individually so that we can take account of their circumstances before finalising the changes.”
Despite raising its share of council tax by an average of £4.19 a year per household for 2019-20, RBC needs to save money after losing millions in funding from the government since 2010.
The council will not receive any Revenue Support Grant from the government in 2019-20, having received nearly £2.5 million in 2014-15.
The phased withdrawal of the government’s grant to councils has seen 60 per cent of local authority income removed since 2010.
Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/kerbsidecollections for more information on the proposed changes, and to provide feedback.
