Private bin firm wastes no time over city switch

A PRIVATE bin firm thatoffers an alternative to council pick-ups is setting up in the Capital ahead of the move to fortnightly collections.

Waste Concern, which currently operates in England and Wales, charges 500 a year for weekly bin collections and to sort recycling.

The service has been popular in areas where councils have moved to fortnightly collections, allowing the private firm to pick up bins in the week not covered by the local authority.

Customers must buy a new 50 wheelie bin from the company which is then picked up from their home. Homeowners can pay monthly or annually, with fortnightly collections costing 240 a year.

Councillors are expected to make a decision on whether or not to privatise bin collections later in the summer after a two-year dispute with its workers over pay and conditions.

It is expected to introduce fortnightly collections next year.

Spencer Feldman, chief executive of Waste Concern, said demand from Scottish customers had seen the company extend its operations. He said: "I have been saying ever since councils began fortnightly collections that bin collections should be privatised. Councils need to remove themselves and reduce council tax accordingly. The private sector can offer a better and cheaper service."

He added that offering customers one bin for recycling, which is then sorted by the firm, had also proved popular.

He said: "Everybody wants to be green, but the way recycling has been handled by councils has been slapdash. Having 12 bins outside a terraced house is not the answer."

Refuse collections currently cost the council 66 for each of the city's 240,000 households, a total bill of around 15.8 million a year.

Last week it emerged that private contractors have cost the city more than 3.5m during the bin dispute.

Council bosses said they had spent 3.12m on private contractors in 2009-10 and 440,000 in 2010-11.

However, they said "conceding" the dispute would have cost the authority at least 30m in each of the last two years.

Private refuse firms are now expected to continue until late summer, when a decision is expected to be made on whether to privatise refuse collection, street cleaning and other environmental services.

David Lyon, head of environment at the council, said: "It is estimated there will be no cost in this current financial year as the amount spent on contractors is less than what would have been spent on overtime.

"We have also saved around 1.1m by merging trade and domestic waste collections."