Waste ratings released by DEFRA have put West Berkshire Council firmly down in the dumps when it comes to waste management and recycling. Comparisons with other South East local authorities for the past year have revealed that West Berkshire ranks just 59th out of 74 councils for recycling and composting rates.
Shadow Waste spokesman Dr Royce Longton slammed the latest figures:
"This is extremely poor by any standard and certainly contributes to West Berkshire's reputation as 'Britain's most ecologically dismal authority' . Not only is it performing badly in recycling and composting figures, it is also sending one of the highest percentages of waste to landfill . Needless to say, I am disappointed that the Conservative Council is not practicing what it preaches when it comes to 'Cleaner & Greener'. I shall continue to press the Administration to implement the plans for a massive increase in recycling and composting that they inherited from the Liberal Democrats in 2005, as hefty landfill charges are putting unnecessary pressure on our taxpayer's pocket"
Lib Dem Leader Jeff Brooks echoed Councillor Longton's concerns and added:
"Yet another league table published where West Berkshire languishes at the bottom - this is just symptomatic of a lazy administration who are happy to let things drift."
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