Lib Dems Claim Ealing Collecting 400 Tonnes Less Green Waste

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Call for acceleration in council's programme of leaf sweeping

Councillor Athena Zissimos

January 16, 2025

The Liberal Democrat opposition in Ealing is claiming that over 400 tonnes of garden waste is going uncollected across the borough.

It has obtained figures through a Freedom of Information request of data from the weighbridge used by Greener Ealing, the council contractor, to measure the amount of compostable waste gathered.

This shows that in first eight months of the current financial year up to the end of November, around 2,000 tonnes of waste has been collected. Based on seasonal patterns in previous years the group has estimated that this means an annual total of around 2,600 tonnes will be collected which is 400 tonnes down on the average for the previous three years.

The estimate for the amount gathered this year may be high as the kerbside garden waste collections are now suspended from December through to February. Over the last four years the annual garden waste charge for residents who subscribe to the service has increased from £79 to £95.50 despite the service now only being available for nine months

The Lib Dems are using the data to renew calls for the council to step up the amount of leaf clearance in the borough. They say that during the recent cold snap, many elderly residents have been complaining of the danger on the streets due to upswept leaves and icy pathways. They say they want to see the Council act quicker and in a more focused way to clear leaves from the main shopping streets and residential roads to reduce the danger in the bad weather.

They have set up a petition about the issue which has already been signed by nearly 1,500 over the last few weeks.

Freedom Of Information Green Waste Weighbridge Data
Year	Full Year Actual/Est	Tonnes
Year 1 FY21_22 Full Year	Apr 21 - Mar 2022	3,192.32
Year 2 FY22_23 Full Year	Apr 22 - Mar 2023	2,653.12
Year 3 FY23_24 Full Year	Apr 23 - Mar 2024	3,426.66
Year 4 FY24_25 Partial Year data 8m	8m Apr 24 - 29 Nov 24	1,977.94
Year 4 FY24_25 Estimated 12m amount	Apr 24 - Mar 2025 (Est)	2,617.58 (Est)

Councillor Athena Zissimos, the party's spokesperson for Environment, Streets, Parks and Climate Change, said, “Liberal Democrats are very disappointed that Ealing Labour policy is aimed at penalising responsible householders, Council Tax payers and those who opt to pay for a service rather than providing them with value for money in this economically cold climate. The Council should be encouraging people to reduce and reuse waste as well as making use of people’s garden green waste rather than cutting back on these services like they have with the Acton dump.”

We have asked Ealing Council for a comment.

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