Sir – In an article by Liam Sloan in the issue of June 30, the discriminatory treatment of residents unable to accommodate the new brown wheelie bins was discussed.
The alternative to what is described by the council as the “Garden Waste Subscription Service”, where for an annual charge of £35 one is issued with a 240 litre bin which will be emptied once a fortnight, is the purchase of what are described as “paper-based compostable sacks” at £35 for 20 50 litre sacks.
A council spokesman claimed that the garden waste “put-out” rate is 20 times per year, which means that the bin user can get rid of nearly five times as much material for the standard charge.
In an attempt to rectify this discrimination I put a motion to the city council meeting on July 11 asking that the number of bags available if needed for the £35 payment be increased accordingly.
To my surprise, the motion was opposed by councillor Tanner, the portfolio holder for this area of the council's activities.
The reasons for his opposition were unclear, but he was supported by his Labour colleagues and the motion was defeated. Thus residents with larger gardens, but unable to use bins, will continue to pay more than their fair share of the total cost of the service.
Clark Brundin, Liberal Democrat councillor, Oxford
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