British Churches and Borough Dispute Over Free Trash Pick-Up

In Britain, the Macclesfield Express reports on the controversy between local churches and the Macclesfield Borough Council over trash collection. The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says that its regulations require boroughs to provide free trash pick-up to places of worship. Macclesfield though has been demanding commercial rates from churches-- leading some churches to rely on members to dispose of rubbish for them. Paul Morgan, Macclesfield's Corporate Waste Manager, argued that the government regulations requiring free service are out of date, and are unclear on whether churches can be charged when their halls are used for entertainment.