BUT COUNCIL URGED TO GET ‘OWN HOUSE IN ORDER’
GWYNEDD Council has been urged to “get its own house in order” amid a planned crackdown on residents leaving their bins and recycling boxes on the pavement for days at a time.
A meeting of the Communities Scrutiny Committee discussed possible enforcement options last Thursday following concerns waste bins and recycling boxes were often left out on the wrong days or not taken in at all.
This, they said, had been a concern in several towns and villages with pedestrians unable to use pavements.
But councillors also used the opportunity to urge officers to act on the authority’s own recycling lorries, which were said to be leaving “trails of paper and plastic” while on
their rounds across communities throughout the county.
Cllr Annwen Hughes said: “Living in the Harlech area, it’s clear to anyone when the recycling lorries have been to visit because there’s usually way more material spread across the side of the road, which by the looks of it is because the doors haven’t been shut properly. I think it’s about time that someone had a word with the relevant staff and urged them to make sure that the contents isn’t allowed to fly out everywhere.
“I think we should be looking closer to home first before asking for the public’s help.”
Cllr Angela Russell said: “I’m sure that had we kept (private litter enforcement company) Kingdom, Gwynedd Council would have received the most fines for littering out of everyone.”
But following concerns the planned clampdown would result in widespread fines for residents unable to find anywhere else other than pavements to keep their bins, councillors confirmed they would be judged on a “case by case basis,” accepting some households had no suitable space to store them.
Cllr Stephen Churchman, who chaired the scrutiny investigation set up in 2017, said: “There has been particular concern in the Bangor area about bins being put out on the wrong day, but it’s an issue that’s been reported across Gwynedd as a whole.
“We have also been looking at ways to help residents avoid section 46 sanctions, as while the ultimate sanction we can implement is a fine, this is something we generally want to avoid.”
The cabinet holder for highways and municipal, Cllr Catrin Wager, stressed the authority did not view the scheme as income generating, but that officers would talk to those responsible with action unlikely to be taken unless the problem persisted.
She added that a task and finish group has established that current shift patterns meant many crews were having to “rush” some rounds, which also resulted in different crews visiting areas every week. The authority was looking to introduce changes so crews worked more standardised routes which hopefully would improve the situation.
The new strategy proposes a county-wide promotion campaign to raise awareness of waste and recycling arrangements. QR Code stickers would be placed on recycling boxes to make it easier for residents to check online what their waste collection and recycling days are– in addition to paper calendars already handed out.
Committee members unanimously approved the report, adding a proviso that staff ensure further action is taken to minimise the amount of paper and other material released by their lorries. The committee’s findings will be considered by the cabinet before being implemented.