Monthly bin collections praised despite causing a stink

MONTHLY bin collections are blighting people’s lives with rats, bad smells and fly tipping, residents in Conwy, Wales, have said, despite their local council hailing the scheme as a success.

Conwy council reduced the frequency of general waste collections to monthly in 2016 and claims the move has boosted recycling to record levels.

Many parts of the UK are now moving towards bin collections every three weeks in a bid to cut down on residual waste and increase recycling.

Council figures comparing the last three months of 2018 with the same period in 2017 show that household recycling is up by 11.5 per cent, with an extra 363 tons recycled, while refuse is down by 12 per cent, a 457 ton reduction.

A spokesman for Conwy county council said: “The new service put recycling at the heart of collections and the benefits are already becoming clear. Conwy is now recycling more than ever before and sending less to landfill.”

But meanwhile families have complained about rats in residential areas and having to store stinking rubbish for weeks in overflowing bins.

Some residents have admitted they bought incinerators to burn rubbish in their gardens, a process which is harmful to the environment.

Janet Finch-saunders, Conservative MP and assembly member for Aberconwy, has said she would “like to see Welsh legislation banning four-weekly collection”.