£2.6 million waste budget boost

7.00.00am GMT Fri 1st Feb 2008

Leeds will benefit from an additional £2.6 million which will help improve recycling and waste collections in budget proposals announced today.

£1.2 million will be used to improve waste collections, including further roll-out of garden waste collections across the city and the trialling of more frequent green bin collections in some areas.

The budget also includes £365,000 for education and awareness materials to drive up recycling rates, £100,000 to maintain fortnightly recycling collections from bin yards and an additional £115,000 for replacing lost and damaged bins.

Cllr Steve Smith (Liberal Democrat, Rothwell), executive member for waste management said:

"This budget is yet another demonstration of this administration's commitment to the environment. We have set ourselves the ambitious target of a 30% recycling rate for next year and the measures in this budget should see us achieve it.

"It will enable us to extend the massively successful garden waste collections in the city, trial fortnightly green bin collections in the highest recycling areas and help us make sure that people know the best way to deal with their waste and avoid sending it to landfill.

"Unlike many local authorities, we will also be keeping the black bin collection on a weekly basis."