Readers’ Letters: Driving around Harrogate is becoming difficult and slowReaders’ Letters: A59 at Kex Gill closure is the result of the climate emergencyWeekly food waste collections in Harrogate district to be delayed over costs

An introduction of a weekly food waste collection scheme across North Yorkshire looks set to be delayed amid concern over costs.

North Yorkshire Council is set to lobby government over a planned food waste collection scheme after it estimated the scheme will cost a further £6.4 million a year.

The changes, which have been proposed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, would see councils across the UK provide a free food waste collection service by 2025.

The council already has an existing residual waste contract with AWRP SPV Ltd, which runs until 2043, and has therefore been granted an extension to bring in the changes beyond the government’s 2025 target.

However, senior councillors have raised questions over how the scheme would be paid for.

Cllr Greg White, executive councillor for environment at the council, said:

“We have pledged to try and be carbon net zero by 2030 and to do our bit to help the whole county reach the ambitious goal of being carbon negative by 2040.

“The change to a weekly food collection would give us a unique opportunity to accelerate this process.

“We want to introduce these changes long before 2043, but at the moment there is too much uncertainty around how the new collections will be paid for. At a time when the council is facing a deficit of £30 million alone in its first year, we cannot commit to that level of spending without guarantees from the Government that our costs will be covered.

“Should we get that commitment, then we will look to bring the weekly food waste collections in earlier and start engaging with residents about the changes.”

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The change to weekly collections could cost the council up to an extra £6.4 million annually.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the authority, has written to Theresa Coffey, Secretary of State for the Environment, to clarify how the project would be funded.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive will consider a recommendation to implement a separately collected food waste service from February 2043, despite the delay meaning the carbon equivalent of an extra 18 million kilometres of diesel car emissions every year.

The council said collecting food waste separately would reduce its carbon dioxide equivalent output by between 2,800 tonnes to 3,300 tonnes each year compared to the current arrangements where food waste is recovered from residual waste at Allerton Waste Recovery Park.

Authority officials have also pledged that the council will reduce its carbon footprint to net zero by 2030.

Explained: What happens to bin collections in Harrogate after devolution?

A new council is set to take over in the Harrogate district in four weeks’ time.

Both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council will make way for North Yorkshire Council on April 1.

While the move throws up questions over council tax and economic development, perhaps the first thought on residents’ minds is who is going to collect the bins?

In this article, we will explain what this means for waste collection and disposal in the district.

Who currently collects my bins?

At the moment, Harrogate Borough Council collects household bins across the district.

Waste collection staff employed by the borough council collect bins on a weekly basis.

This includes garden, general and recycling bins.

What about waste disposal?

Disposal of waste is currently a responsibility for North Yorkshire County Council.

It is responsible for household waste recycling centres, including those on Wetherby Road and Pennypot Lane in Harrogate and Dallamires Lane in Ripon.

The county council also oversees the Allerton Waste Recovery Park near Knaresborough, which recycles and converts biodegradable waste to biogas.  

What will happen on April 1?

On April 1, the borough council will no longer be responsible for waste collections as it will not exist.

Instead, North Yorkshire Council will take over the responsibility and bins will be collected as normal.

Staff who currently work for the borough council on waste collection will move over to the new authority.

The new council will also be responsible for the running of household waste recycling centres in the district, as well as Allerton Waste Recovery Park.

Residents may not notice much change in their collections. However, for council bosses, the idea is that the transition to the new authority is smooth.

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Covid outbreak delays Harrogate council bin collections

An outbreak of covid among staff working for Harrogate Borough Council has caused delays to waste and recycling collections this week.

In a statement this afternoon, the council said it was the first time a number of staff had fallen victim to the virus in 15 months.

It added some staff were also off sick due to adverse reactions to the vaccine.

The council later said on social media staff were issued with the necessary safety precautions.

It said it hoped to catch up with refuse, recycling and garden collections by the end of Saturday.

The full council statement said:

“You may have seen on social media, or first-hand, that some waste and recycling collections have been delayed this week, and last. Throughout the covid pandemic, our crews have worked tirelessly in all conditions to ensure collections take place as normal.

“By-in-large, this has happened week in, week out with very few delays, while we also adhere to the government’s social distancing guidelines. Sadly, for the first time in 15-months, covid has got the better of us and a number of staff have had been taken ill with the virus or have had to self-isolate.

“In addition, some have also suffered adverse reactions to their vaccines. We are doing our very best to catch-up and have recruited volunteers from some of our other services to lend a helping hand with rounds.

“Sadly, for the first time in 15-months, covid has got the better of us and a number of staff have had been taken ill with the virus.

“We are optimistic that we will have all this week’s garden, refuse and recycling collected by close of play on Saturday. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused but hope you understand the position we’re in. We’ll have a further update later in the week.”

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