ON the eve of a cabinet meeting to discuss the immediate future of waste collections in Thurrock, its members were given plenty of messages by members of the authority's cleaner, greener and safer overview and scrutiny committee last night (Tuesday, 14 June).

At the meeting of the committee members were given a resume of proposals and options that will be put before cabinet – with the likely scenario (reported last week on Thurrock Nub News) being the immediate implementation of an alternate week blue/ brown strategy.

Committee chair Cllr Val Moris-Cook opened debate by saying: "This will be third waste strategy since 20-21. I am concerned that have tried it twice and it hasn't worked and we are now on a third.

"We need to look at this with a common sense approach, though the financial strategy needs to be considered.

"For me it's really difficult to implement change unless you have take colleagues with you. We have seen over the past couple of years a complete lack of trust.

"When we look at a new strategy going forward we must involve people doing the job, drivers, loaders, people in the planning department. Their views are really important."

Cllr Morris-Cook said that the council's plans should be based on an analysis of the cost of emptying each bin. She said that was the best way to ensure achievable aims within a budget and was an example of forward thinking and good planning.

She added: "There are options and different way we should looking at things. There is a basic common sense.

"We have failed our residents on the basics, miscommunication, poor communications and given a mixed message. We have made a very simple job into an extreme nightmare and extremely complicated affair. We need to go back to basics.

"As a resident I am angered and frustrated. We have somehow got to get the trust of our residents back.

"One of the things about option five is an interim solution, the cynic in me says are we going to empty brown bins for one week, three – or four? We have to consider the word interim.

"Our recycling levels are diabolical; we are going to end up being fined by the government. We have to get the message out about recycling.

"One of the issues is that of vehicles getting and out of the road. Get parking enforcement to go round and enforce. Do that going forward to help these guys do their job.

"Communication could have been a lot better, 100 per better. There is no excuse."

Cllr Alex Anderson queried the numbers of staff, going back over recent years and was told levels of employment had risen from 98 members to 114 members currently.

He said: "Why have we not seen this fiasco coming down the line? It all seems not very well handled, In hindsight the department could have seen this coming a little earlier than it did."

He asked when would be the next time that residents get their brown bins collected and was told 26 June.

Cllr Cathy Kent asked: "If we go fortnightly recycling, will we still meet government targets. What is the cost of fines, has it been factored in?"

She was told there were no longer specific government targets!

Cllr Maureen Pearce talked about composting and public information, saying: "All these things we are going lumbered with and we still can't get it right.

"We used to compost our food and garden waste. Can we have a comms campaign to get more people to compost, it needs to be though out of more and publicised more?"

Cllr Joy Redsell said: "This goes to cabinet tomorrow, then it has to come back to us. We have to get this right this time."

Cllr Morris-Cook acknowledged that Cabinet had a lot of questions to answer and decision to make at its meeting and said: "I want to see this brought back to us after their meeting. That is not being unreasonable."

And she asked for the word 'interim' to be changed.

The committee noted all the information being put to cabinet and asked that the comments of its members be relayed to the cabinet in detail, concluding 'We want to see a fully costed and agreed waste implementation strategy.'