LABOUR councillors welcome new ways to recycle across a district.

Proposals to increase the ways of recycling in the Stroud District moved forward at a meeting of the Environment Committee on the week beginning September 1, with a new contract awaiting a final decision in October.

The current waste collection contract, which is managed by Veolia, comes to an end in 2016 and the council has already begun the process of planning the shape of the future service.

A cross party task and finish group was set up to discuss all aspects of the new service and has met

17 times to scrutinise aspects of the future contract.

Cam West labour cllr Paul Denney said: “The new contract will expand upon the existing one and add in new aspects like waste food collection and a pay for green garden waste service that will now see the collected material processed into compost rather than sent to landfill as it currently is.”

Three options were put forward for the committee to choose from: A contractor led operation, like the current contract; using the services of UBICO, a not-for-profit company set up by Cheltenham and Cotswold councils; or to take the service in-house and have SDC run the service itself.

Cllr Denney proposed that the council choose the UBICO option.

He said: "Of the three options, UBICO offered the most cost effective service while remaining flexible enough for the council to change details of the contract if required, something that is difficult and costly to do under a private contract.

"Given the nature of the choice between private and public service I was expecting a heated debate, but my motion was unanimously supported across the chamber. There wasn't even any debate.

“In some ways I shouldn't have been surprised as under the new committee system much of the argument that used to go on in the council chamber can be sorted out in advance and a cross-party consensus established. Clearly the system is working well".

The recommendation of the environment committee will go to full council in October for ratification.