85,000 new food bins for Slough as council ramps up £1million environmental drive

A near £1million investment to tackle Slough’s rubbish problems has been unveiled by the council as part of a drive to make the town ‘greener, cleaner and healthier’.

Headline announcements include a weekly food waste collection for all residents by March next year and a purchase of 85,000 new food waste bins for residents across the borough.

Slough has one of the lowest recycling rates in the UK and Cabinet councillors, who last week unanimously backed the seven-figure investment, want this to change.

‘These measures constitute the largest single investment in improving Slough's environment in recent years,’ Cllr Gurcharan Manku (Con, Langley St Mary’s) told Monday’s meeting.

New waste disposal vehicles; more employees to help collect waste; and new employees to help create future waste disposal strategies were all highlighted in the plans.

Fly tipping around Slough, which racks up a £100,000 clean-up bill for the council each year, also comes under the microscope in its new waste disposal measures.

New enforcement officers and CCTV cameras are set to be deployed from next month in a renewed clampdown.

“We will be investing in more resources to tackle fly-tipping including delegated enforcement officers and mobile CCTV,” Cllr Manku said.

“This will drive down the significant fly-tipping disposal cost each year and improve the quality of the local environment for our residents.”

Slough council rolled out a weekly food waste collection for 5,100 households in Britwell, Chalvey, Colnbrook, Diamond Estate and Langley last year.

Figures have since shown Langley’s recycling rate almost double from the Slough average of 25 per cent, while other areas in the trial saw a rise to around 37 per cent.

By rolling out the scheme across the whole borough, the hope is Slough’s recycling rate – the 13th lowest of all 343 UK local authorities – will see a similar boost.

“It will help us to create a greener, cleaner and healthier Slough,” Cllr Manku said.

The council is also set to embark on a new recycling campaign, to further boost awareness of recycling.

Cllr Manku said: “This will involve working with schools and the local community, to let our residents know why recycling is so important and how they can increase the amount they recycle.”

Funding for the project comes from a Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) grant which the council expects to be worth more than £2.5million.

Council leader Dexter Smith (Con, Colnbrook and Poyle) said, ‘I think we’ve all been waiting for this; wanting for this for a long time.’

He said the council had needed to wait before grant funding was available, and a cost analysis of its plans, before it could push forward with the plans.

“Now we’ve got that clarity,” he added. “We’ve got a clear plan.”

Council executive director for regeneration, housing and environment Patrick Hayes also praised the new measures.

He highlighted grant funding the council was making use of as well as the positive environmental impacts.

“This is just a really significant report for the borough,” he said.