Moves by South Lakeland District Council to radically alter the waste collection service are to be welcomed.

Councillors have backed a scheme to scrap existing weekly waste collection rounds and force householders to sort their rubbish such as glass, paper and plastic - into different containers for a separate collection every other week.

Bin men will still do the rounds every seven days but the service will alternate between recyclables and ordinary waste collections.

The idea is to try to reduce the huge amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites and to boost recycling. The latter issue has become acute since the government introduced tough new recycling targets.

The district council must increase its recycling totals from its present 12 per cent level to 14 per cent in 2003/4 and 21 per cent by 2005/6. Financial penalties will be handed out to councils who fail to meet targets.

Residents' groups have broadly welcomed the waste collection proposal - but for many people it could prove painful.

We live in a society which encourages people to own goods which make life easy for us dishwashers, washing machines, mobile telephones, computers and so on.

And even when you've bought them, the marketing message is that once they are a year or two old, you should be ashamed to own them. They are out of date and should be hastily consigned to the scrap heap.

Most of these goods come with a vast amount of packaging, which only adds to the average household's annual waste mountain.

Councillors have rightly warned that the plan will require a "massive cultural change".

How many of us really think about what happens to our waste and its impact on the environment? Do we stop to think before we take another carrier bag at the supermarket? How many times do we visit recycling bins?

If the fortnightly waste collection scheme is to be successful, it is going to require thought and effort from people otherwise households will end up with overflowing wheelie bins and have to endure rubbish which stays on the premises for up to 14 days.

Supermarkets and other retailers also need to be forced to think hard about packaging though putting the planet before profit is unlikely to prove popular.

There are some stiff challenges ahead for us all. But it is vital that everyone plays their part large or small - in disposing of our throwaway culture.

January 10, 2003 12:01