Safehands Green Start nursery, based at Blackpool Football Club,describes itself as an eco nursery. It is also part of the Eco Schoolsscheme.
Manager Kate Myers said, 'The person I spoke to said they would pass myconcerns on, but because the nursery was a commercial premises and notresidential, the council would not collect our recycling.'
Ms Myers added that residents in Blackpool are told by the council thatthey will be fined for not recycling. 'Residents are given threedifferent bins - one for paper, one for plastic and one for generalrubbish.'
The nursery wanted to put three smaller versions in each of its roomswith a picture to encourage the children to empty waste into the properbins.
'Children know about recycling at home and we're trying to bring thehome into the nursery. We're trying to educate the children and thecouncil are just not interested,' said Ms Myers.
Managing director Gary Farrer said the council's position was at oddswith the Government's agenda on green issues. 'We're trying to educatechildren. We have our own cook, who cooks on site, and we show childrenwhat to do with the waste.'
He said he had even offered to buy the bins. 'But the council said theywould not collect them.'
In a statement, a council spokesperson said, 'Recyclable waste which isproduced by nurseries, regardless of whether they are privately owned,along with that of churches, schools, charities and so on, is classed asSchedule 2 domestic waste and, therefore, is not chargeable.
'Blackpool Council is happy to supply all nurseries with a blue-liddedrecycling waste bin, and we would ask anyone without a bin to contactus.'
At Safehands' other setting in Penrith, Cumbria, nursery manager CarrieGelder said that she had made special arrangements for recycling withthe agency responsible for the task for Eden District Council.
She said, 'We're looked on as a business. The council told me that itwas up to Eden Community Recycling whether they took us on as acustomer.'
Ms Gelder said she pays a small charge to have bins for paper andplastic collected, but the bins themselves are provided free.
She said she would advise nurseries in similar disputes with councils,'You need to be proactive. You need to keep asking and nagging!'
