Kent County Council (KCC) have proposed to stop passing part of the savings that they make as a result of Maidstone’s high recycling rate to Maidstone Borough Council. KCC saves millions each year because of the recycling by Maidstone residents and KCC has, until now, shared those savings with us. On Thursday their Environment committee proposed to end this agreement.
Local Greens will be asking Maidstone Borough Council to side step KCC and to contract with waste disposal units directly and therefore get the full benefit of the savings.
Cllr Stuart Jeffery (MBC – Green Party), “Kent County Council has historically benefited financially from our high recycling rate and has shared the benefit of those reduced costs with us. Its threat to withdraw this, which is over £300,000, is counterproductive and will come to haunt them.
“This is a retrograde step, particularly in these times of ecological crisis. We need to be promoting a circular economy, not sending more material to the incinerator.
“But we don’t need to send our waste via KCC, we can do this directly and we can benefit from the whole saving. KCC think they are playing Russian roulette with us but they are about to shoot themselves in the foot.”
Cllr Mark Hood (KCC – Green Party), “Cutting these recycling credits threatens to undermine improvements in recycling performance by removing an incentive for residents to separate their waste properly in the knowledge it will help reduce the burden of their council tax. This is currently mutually beneficial for all involved and is being needlessly jeopardised to address an in year overspend. We require detailed evidence before taking such a retrograde step.”
Notes:
· Link to KCC meeting (final item) https://kent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/837441
· Maidstone Borough Council’s recycling credit: £333,900 (see https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=122636 )
· Final decision is to be made at Cabinet on 25th Jan
