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Council ban on second wheelie bins
Thursday 2nd October 2008, 11:45AM BST.
Hundreds of people across Wolverhampton have been given second bins – only to be told by council chiefs they must empty them themselves.
Letters have been left with bins telling residents they should take extra waste in bags or bins to the tip.
The ruling has sparked derision from people who requested the bins because they have a large amount of garden waste. The tone of the letter was also criticised as “terse”. Today Wolverhampton’s environment boss announced a review of the policy and apologised to those offended by the letter.
The letter, from the city council’s waste policy manager Chris Smiles, says: “All residents are entitled to the fortnightly collection of a 240-litre garden waste bin. Unfortunately, additional garden waste bins or excess waste presented in bags will not be collected.” It goes on to say that those with extra waste “are welcome to take it to the household waste and recycling centres”.
“Should you find that you are producing additional garden waste on a regular basis, you are welcome to take it to the household waste and recycling centres at Shaw Road or Anchor Lane. Alternatively you can purchase a compost bin at a reduced rate from the city council,” the letter from Wolverhampton City Council’s waste policy manager said.
The bins cost between £17 and £40.
One resident, of Perton Road, Wightwick, said she got the letter yesterday. The 39-year-old mother of four said: “I don’t know what we’ll do. It’s really not that easy to take these things to the tip, especially when you’ve got four children. The whole point of giving us a second bin was because they wanted us to recycle as much as possible.
“It is very easy to fill two bins in an area like this with so many trees and where people have large gardens. It seems a backwards step.”
Retired legal secretary Sally Malpass, 56, said: “I thought the tone of the letter was rather terse. It’s saying that they are going to go ahead and do it regardless of what anybody thinks. We pay over £200 a month in rates but the only council service I use is the bin collection.”
Neighbour Jill Dews, 52, said: “I asked for my bin more than a year ago, and they were happy for me to have a second one. Since then, they have been collecting it with no problems at all. I didn’t understand why, when the lorry has to come down here anyway, it has suddenly become impossible to take a second binful.”
Councillor Barry Findlay, deputy council leader and environment chief, said today: “I’m going to review the policy, I don’t believe it’s right. I believe we should continue to collect the bins as we have been doing from people who put two bins out. If the letters have upset anybody, I would apologise.”
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I think couldn’t organise a party:)) in a brewery is the appropriate remark for this cock up
Get snouts out the trough party
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And they wonder why people lose interest in recycling.
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anything to get more money out of us
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It’s just classic case of the how greedy and idle the council is. I think we should all teach tham a well deserved lesson, and not pay our council tax – they can’t jail us all can they!!!
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Retired legal secretary Sally Malpass, 56, said: “I thought the tone of the letter was rather terse. It’s saying that they are going to go ahead and do it regardless of what anybody thinks. We pay over £200 a month in rates but the only council service I use is the bin collection.”
The above is a rather naive view, what about road gritters, road sweepers, the people who answer the phone when she requested a second bin? Or for that the police or fire brigade?
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I pay over £200.00 a month in rates, I ahve yet to see a road sweeper, road gritter or a policeman on the beat, so what am i paying the council to do for me exactly? I recycle and they don’t take it away! so now i don’t bother, lucky FANNY if you have a bobbie on the beat and a road sweeper.
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Another cock up by the suits time this manangement
was sorted out.
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Please correct me if I’m wrong but I’m under the impression that the provision of brown bins for garden waste is a relatively recent service: I recall going to the local tip with my father when he disposed of his black bags of grass cuttings so I’m certain we didn’t have a brown bin. Even with a fortnightly collection you’d really be going some to fill a wheelie bin with grass cuttings so I really can’t see what the fuss is about. I also think Roy Jenkins should stand for election as a Councillor if he believes he could run the service better.
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Maybe the answer is for us all to buy a refuse truck each and then we can dispose of all our rubbish, house refuse, garden waste etc at the council tip when we wish!
Councils are doing their damndest to make life for householders as difficult as possible by introducing a bin for this, a bin for that and a bin for something else and then place restrictions on how much you can put in them!
Maybe we could have another bin for glass, another for tins, another for plastic containers, another for … – I could go on and on!
Has anyone at the council ever given thoughts to these questions:-
1. Where are householders supposed to keep all these bins – not everyone lives in a house?
2. How are householders supposed to take bins to a waste tip if not possessing transport?
3. The money being spent on these so-called ‘environmentally-friendly’ schemes, is it actually worth it?
4. Why do councils introduce such schemes but then not make available the necessary collection vehicles so that householders actually get what they pay for and weekly collections and as some do, fortnightly?
All in all yet another scheme which is a waste of money, a waste of time and not given sufficient thought by Wolverhampton Council!
Pity we cannot just dump our rubbish like they did in the old days – yes what a pity!
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So Emily, if someone stole something from you would you not call the police? If your house was on fire would you not call the fire brigade? Or perhaps you should not pay council tax and buy a hose pipe and maybe a gun and sort out all your own problems? Good luck.
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I agree with Tony Powis! They can’t fit us all in prison can they? Mind you Tony i have a friend who works in a prison and he says the criminals are better looked after inside than us on the outside!! TV games consoles 3 meals per day (maybe prison is a holiday camp)
Get rid of the council “OVERPAID” loony party
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I wouldn’t bother with the police no as they are waste of space. I would have better luck sorting my own problems out.
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What do you pay your council tax for in England if not for services by these public servants. Why are they dictating to you, and not the other way around as their employers? Stop paying your council tax, and dump your waste on their door steps.
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You should all be greatful!We still haven’t got wheelie bins in the Republic of Dudley!!!
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I have an old Aunt in the Wolverhampton area. she sold her old Ford Escort a number of years ago. Her only mode of transport is the local bus service. Is she going to be allowed to take her refuse on the bus to the tip. I don’t think so do you?
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I really don’t understand the fuss: The Council are still emptying the wheelie bins! They’re just limiting the service to one per house. Most people have only got one bin anyway and most other local authorities only empty one bin per house. If you’ve got 2 just rotate them; it’s only full of grass clippings so it’s not a danger to health!
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Larger houses have larger gardens, which in turn tend to produce larger amounts of garden waste (more than one bin full)
Larger houses also get charged more for council tax
So why is it that when we are paying more in council tax we are restricted in the use of services?
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What exactly did these larger houses do before the occupants were provided with a receptacle for their garden waste?
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