Wheelie Bin Roundup 19th June

Wheelie Bin Roundup 19^th June

More than 60,000 recycling wheelie bins are being delivered to households across Brighton and Hove over the next few months. The 240 litre bins are being delivered in response to requests from residents, who have asked the council for improvements to be made to their recycling and rubbish collection services.

The council are providing residents with information leaflets about what changes will be made to services and what they can put into the new bins.

The council said that the 240 litre bins will be suitable for most households, but residents can order a smaller or larger size to suit their requirements.

Residents will still have to dispose of glass in their recycling boxes, as glass can’t be put into the new bins.

Elderly or disabled residents will be eligible for assisted collections, and wheelie bins will not be mandatory for properties for which wheelie bins aren’t suitable, like where there are steep steps. The new wheelie bins will not be provided to properties which are served by communal bins.

The bins were trialled in a few areas last year, and they were positively received, so this has led to their wider introduction.

The bins will be delivered in three phases, beginning in Central Hove, East Brighton, Goldsmid, Hangleton and Knoll, Hove Park, North Portslade, South Portslade, Westbourne and Wish wards.

Burglars used a wheelie bin to gain access to a property in Aylesbury, police have said. The current warmer weather has led to people leaving windows open, and the thieves were able to gain access to the property through a ground floor window. The thieves took a wallet and car keys, then proceeded to steal the car which was parked outside of the property.

Police are appealing for witnesses and have reminded people to make sure that their property is secure, even though it is tempting to leave windows open when it is warm.

A Bath councillor is urging residents who have been ‘forced’ to have wheelie bins to complain to the council. The councillor said that if residents recycle correctly, they shouldn’t need a bin.

Bath and North-East Somerset Council has told most households they will get 140L bins when rubbish collection services change at the end of the year, though some residents will receive 140L gull-proof bin bags instead.

Hundreds of people asked for a bag instead of a bin, but many people had their requests refused.

The council have responded by offering to review requests, if a resident believes that the council has not fully considered their needs. They have also offered to provide assisted collections to elderly residents who might struggle to lift and carry a heavy bag of rubbish.

Families in Cheadle are furious after being told they will now have to pay £30 for a new wheelie bin. Anyone living in Cheadle and the surrounding villages will have to pay the fee if their bins are stolen or damaged. They will also be charged if they move to a new house and their new property does not have a bin.

Because most households now have a garden waste, recycling, and general waste bin as standard, this could add up to £90 if the bins need replacing.

The council has been criticised for the move but they maintain that it is essential to help them save money. Due to funding cuts, the council say that they can simply no longer afford to replace wheelie bins free of charge.

Residents are angry that new bins don’t come out of their council tax, and are aggrieved that they will have to pay even if they are a victim of crime. There are concerns that it will affect pensioners and those on low incomes the most.

There are also concerns that people won’t want to pay the charges and will instead resort to fly-tipping or burning rubbish. Residents also fear that there will be an increase in bin thefts.

There is also anger that the council have imposed a tax on DIY waste being taken to the local tip, which means that disposing of rubbish correctly is not affordable for some people.

The council say that if your bin has been stolen, and you have a crime number, the fee will be waived. They also add that if your bin is damaged in the course of it being emptied by refuse collectors, it will be replaced free of charge.