We’d like to know exactly what’s going on regarding the disposal of green waste – i.e. garden rubbish – in Boston.
A while back, the service ran out of cash, to the accompaniment of lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth, and the Conservatives took up the issue as part of their election manifesto.
An abbreviated form of green waste collection resumed shortly before the election – but concentrated more on the village and rural areas of the borough and less on the town itself – even though the disposal of garden rubbish is probably more of a problem there.
Since then another five locations have been added – again with a larger number rurally located.
The issue of waste disposal generally has become something of a political hot potato, after the government u-turned on its promise to re-introduce weekly rubbish collections.
Last week a national newspaper told us that one in four councils charges up to £113 a year for green rubbish collection - highlighting another of those postcode lotteries if you want your grass and plant clippings collected.
Significantly, the story singled out a situation in Lincolnshire – where residents in South Kevesten, pay £26 a year, whilst those in neighbouring North Kevesten get the service for free.
A long long time ago, Boston dallied with the idea of introducing charges for the collection of garden waste – we seem to recall that the figure mentioned was around £20 for a fortnightly collection over six months of the year – roughly £2 a time. We heard no howls of protest, and the cost seemed reasonable given the saving in time and expense of bagging your rubbish (if you’re able enough), filling the car with it (if you have one and it is big enough) then taking it to Slippery Gowt tip where you have to unload it all and empty out all the bags that you’ve just filled up.
Disposal of green waste is important. Earlier this year, figures from the Environment Agency showed that recycling countywide averaged 51.4% for 2009-2010 , with North Kesteven top of the green tree with 56.3% - and remember they make no extra charge - whilst Boston was last on the list with a meagre 31.5%.
At that time, Lincolnshire County Councillor Lewis Strange, Executive Councillor for Waste Services and Green Issues, said “We hope to promote green waste collection in Boston, should Boston wish to follow that route.”
We can’t think why Boston should not wish to follow such a course.
At election time the Tory manifesto maintained the sort of political vagueness that you might expect of a party that was subsequently shocked to take power and apparently wrong-footed by it.
All that was said about green waste was: “The Conservatives on Boston Borough, if elected, will push for cleaner streets and green waste collection.”
Well that resumed in part before they took power, and the additional service just announced is a small step indeed.
At election time, the Tories were quietly saying that they would go further - with funding already being in place from the County Council to start a door to door collection. Presumably this is the cash that councillor Strange was talking about.
If that was the case, then when do we get to hear the announcement?
We need the rubbish collecting this summer – not next.

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