Campaigning for OXWAB
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Recycling Up in Oxford - letter to Oxford Mail
February 7, 2007 11:46 AM
Mr Faulkner is mistaken if he thinks I am claiming to have devised Oxford's new recycling and refuse service all by myself. Far from it.
I should like to thank the previous Labour administration for originally devising it, in order to increase Oxford's dismal recycling rate and reduce the tonnage sent to landfill, which has to be done if we are to avoid hefty fines in the future. Liberal Democrats improved it after listening to the comments from the public.
The fines are the stick, yes, but the carrots are less damage to the environment, reducing our contribution to global warming, and less waste of energy and resources.
Our service is already showing huge increases in the proportion of household waste recycled or composted, up from 19% to 27% and landfill down 17%, with just one-third of the city on the new scheme. Reintroducing weekly collections would cost about £750,000 and reduce the recycling proportion as the incentive is reduced.
Of course we would welcome better government funding for Oxford's services; we could then provide more frontline staff and crucially reduce the current high level of Council Tax. Liberal Democrats want a fairer system of local taxation to replace the unfair Council Tax. Mr Faulkner can be assured that we want to provide better services at less cost to the taxpayer.
Cllr Jean Fooks
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