Bins to be emptied only once a month
ANGRY householders who face waiting a month to get their rubbish collected have warned that town hall bosses are creating a health risk.
Council chiefs have decided to push ahead with a controversial four-weekly bin collections from September, despite angry opposition.
The changes are expected to save £390,000 a year. However, environmental health experts have warned of a “significant risk” of increased flytipping and say missed collections could leave some people with an eightweek wait for the bin wagon.
Conwy Council, the first local authority in England and Wales to introduce the policy, said it plans to offer various “mitigation” measures.
Smelly
These include second bins for larger families, mobile recycling centres and help for residents who miss collections due to being on holiday.
But a pilot scheme involving 11,000 homes left some residents describing the scheme as “smelly and horrendous”, with some small gardens in towns such as Colwyn Bay and Llandudno reportedly filled with bins overflowing with rubbish.
Tweeting about the trial, resident Angela Francis said: “Streets filled with litter, bins spilled, rubbish just lingering, polluting the environment. Health risk, looks appalling.” Dan Cassidy, who started an online petition against the policy, said: “It is a basic right to have bins collected weekly. These four-weekly bin collections need getting rid of.”
A council report says the pilot scheme proved that fewer collections did not increase fly-tipping.
The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management backs the council, claiming the new system could safeguard health, increase recycling and still provide a good service.
Chief executive Dr Colin Church said: “Councils are committed to providing a good waste collection. The shape of these services has been changing as we get into the recycling habit. Extending the collection frequency of ‘black bag’ waste is a logical next step.”