WORCESTER has been urged to ‘learn from Wychavon’ and not rush into giving households another bin for food waste.

An in-house panel has just been set up by Worcester City Council to look at the pros and cons of introducing food waste pick-ups for the first time.

But Tory councillor Roger Knight, the city’s former bins chief, has urged the Labour cabinet to properly investigate the proposal before diving into any launch.

He told a meeting of the full council that at Wychavon District Council, just 20 per cent of households take part in such a scheme, despite it costing taxpayers £600,000.

“In the experience of Wychavon, the cost to set up was £500,000 and it was taken up by 30 per cent of the population,” he said.

“It then went up to £600,000 and the take-up was 20 per cent.

My question on this is: How will the city pay for it?”

The Labour administration says it will take time to “come to a sensible decision” and has suggested the costs for Worcester could be lower because Wychavon is more rural.

Councillor Matthew Lamb, the cabinet member for cleaner and greener, said: “I’m well aware of the Wychavon experience and I’m glad to say those figures are very similar to what I have.

"We need to be careful over direct comparisons as Wychavon is a rural district and the transport costs will vary greatly.

"We will take our time to take on board all the evidence and make a responsible decision then.”

The bid to start food waste collections is partly influenced by the Guildhall’s lone Green Party politician, Coun Neil Laurenson.

He struck a deal with the Labour cabinet to have it “investigated” with a view to possibly launching the scheme next year.

Supporters of the move say it will help reduce landfill costs, boost the environment and assist in keeping ever-rising landfill taxes to a minimum.

But critics say it would lumber households in Worcester with another bin and could be very expensive to maintain.

The in-house panel will now be tasked with examining the costs, timescale, and any other implications over the coming months.

A first report on the pros and cons will be published in October, and will then be looked at by the scrutiny committee.

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