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AWC Via The Jo Moore* Effect

New Labour is unable to resist doing things in an underhand way. The latest brilliant idea is to sneak in alternate weekly collections of refuse in the winter, when the cold weather will slow decomposition and reduce the stink.

2 wheely binsEnvironment Secretary David Miliband is planning to do the bin 'n' bag manufacturers a favour and replace weekly refuse collections with nationwide fortnightly collections of refuse sorted for recycling and dumping. He is also hoping for a cold winter so that householders will not be overwhelmed by the stench of rotting garbage, and invaded by vermin, until it is too late to reverse a new system in their area.
   Town Halls have been warned that failure to comply will result in either a drop in the cash provided by central government or a takeover of their refuse management by New Labour approved contractors.
   Some 100 councils have already switched to AWC, triggering widespread protests about the health hazards created by leaving waste food lying around in a wheely bin for up to two weeks. But as councils are taking the flak, the government has no scruples about bullying more councils into following their lead.

dog in bigThe Great Recycling Scam

The driving force behind this latest stealth attack on public health is the government's hope that it can use its Waste & Resources Action Programme to save money. The need to meet arbitrary targets on recycling set by both New Labour and the European Union is also a contributing factor.
   The 'guidance' from the Environment Secretary tells councils that they will be able to save money by "serving the same population less frequently". It also advises councils to introduce their AWC schemes in the winter or early spring "such that by the time warmer weather arrives, residents are used to the scheme and initial resistance has faded".
   The 'guidance' also tells town hall officials not to let councillors of opposition parties block fortnightly collections.
   This is a clear invitation to council officers to neutralize 'difficult' councillors by enmeshing them in further baseless complaints to the Standards Board for England. Councils are also advised to avoid local elections in their rollout schedule for AWCs.
   Although, when you think about it, the SBfE will have only a slightly increased workload as local democracy in Britain died a long time ago.
   The leaders of local councils, even ones controlled by the Tories, who are supposed to be Labour's opponents, generally rush to do the government's bidding and the 'useful idiots' on the council follow their leaders' lead like a bunch of sheep. Just a few mavericks [and our readers know who they are] are left to try to introduce a note of reason, and honesty, into local council business.

And since when did recycling have anything to do with saving money?

* Once a special political adviser to Stephen 'Liar' Byers, Jo Moore
thought September 11 2001 would be a good day to 'bury' bad news.

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