The council is carrying out a survey on waste collections and recycling.
The main element of this is I believe the consideration of a move to fortnightly bin collections across the whole county. At present Derwentside has fortnightly collections.
Since the Lib Dems in Durham City introduced improved recycling a few years ago there has been a big increase in recycling levels, however recycling is still much lower than in many other parts of the country.
A move to fortnightly collections would save about £1m on operations and as much as £3m on reduced landfill from increased recycling. Many residents are saying to me that their general waste bins are less than half full and they want an easier way to recycle.
However others are concerned about collections in the winter and the problems of hygiene in the summer. Note that the council is also considering food waste collections.
The survey gives you the chance to comment on this and other issues and only lasts 5 minutes. (if you’re quick)
I have also added a survey on the blog about the specific issue of fortnightly collections.
Link to survey: