A controversial recycling collection system, which is being scrapped by the council, has sparked concerns from a doctor about the impact on cancer patients' health.

Kerry Smith, leader of the Independent Group and cabinet member for housing and property at Basildon Council, told a meeting that a cancer patient had said his doctor had told him, "Don't use those disgusting recycling bags" due to concerns about the impact on his health while he was having chemotherapy treatment. 

Mr Smith, a former deputy leader of the council, raised the concerns during a cabinet meeting on Monday (November 11). The cabinet decided to scrap the controversial waste system in favour of single-use plastic bags for recycling waste. 

During the meeting, Cllr Smith also requested a health impact assessment of the single-use recycling bags. He said: "Can we have a sample done once the bags are empty, you know, like a surgical swab type thing, and see how many pathogens and other disgusting forms of life because when these recycling bags were originally imposed on residents, one of my constituents was about to take a course of chemotherapy and thankfully he's still here and got through it.

"He showed the two bags to his oncologists because he was worried he's been through it before, and they were unused and his oncologist took one look and, I said this here at a previous cabinet meeting, do not use them your immune system is shot when you take the chemotherapy don't use those disgusting recycling bags and we never have as a council done a full health impact assessment and I think it's fair after a years use getting a medical swab and going around those rotten recycling bags send it off to a lab for future reference even though it's of no direct benefit because we are going to do the right thing, it's important because there's many other councils like our neighbours in Brentwood that use those rotten bags so their residents can see, because it seems no local authority has done a health impact assessment and I think it's worth doing." 

Aidan McGurran, cabinet member for environment and leisure, said: "As always, councillor Smith makes some interesting points; in terms of a health impact assessment, it's an interesting suggestion obviously, you will appreciate I will have to talk to officers to see how practical and how expensive that is, but it's worth consideration. "

Addressing criticisms of the waste collection system at the meeting, Cllr Andrew Baggott, leader of the Conservatives, who are in opposition, said: "We acted in good faith to ensure we drove recycling up; we've never, ever, shied away from the fact the recycling sacks were not fit for purpose, and having recognised that we initiated and started with officers the process to find an alternative to the sacks because you couldn't walk around the borough and see them flying everywhere and not accept there was a design problem with the sacks.

"We've never hidden from that, but we are not going to apologise for the fact we drove up recycling, and in fact, we were in 38 per cent recycling when we started the waste process, and at the end, we were nearly on 59 per cent.

"The intent and way we went about it was with the right intentions, what I will apologise for is that residents have had to put up with the sacks but we've always said they were not fit for purpose and that remains the same today."