WITH reference to your article on Poole’s kerbside collections (Daily Echo, July 5), I would like to correct one or two points made by Mr Winwood of Hamside Residents’ Association about the options that are being considered in relation to Borough of Poole’s waste collection strategy. Firstly, any food waste collection would not incur additional costs to taxpayers. Currently food waste ends up in landfill, which, at the current rate of landfill tax, costs us over £72 per tonne, soon to be £80.

Conversely, we could make food waste earn money for us, as it can be converted to energy or compost, but it would have to be collected separately from all other waste collection. Details of costs will be drawn up by officers if requested to do so by committee members.

The green bin kerbside collection service that residents can choose to opt into is not a ‘statutory service’ which is why it is offered with an additional charge, and to offer this to all households as a co-mingled food and green waste service would not be cost effective as many households do not have sufficient green waste to make it viable and any green waste would be contaminated if all types of food waste was mixed in with it. Poole needs to make its waste management more sustainable and more affordable.

More than 30 per cent of waste thrown away by residents is food waste and we need to look at making that work for us. The options that members are being asked to consider need more development and we will be engaging with residents to understand their concerns in order to design a new service that meets our future needs.

CLLR XENA DION portfolio holder for environment, Borough of Poole