Last bin collection for nearly a month
Monday 21st December 2009, 11:30AM GMT.
Rubbish will be left to fester outside some Black Country homes for almost a month while binmen are on festive breaks.
Fortnightly recycling collections due on Christmas Eve in some parts of Walsall have been suspended as it is an extra holiday for every member of staff at the authority.
It means the last collection before Christmas happened on December 10 with the next one scheduled for January 7.
It comes just days after Walsall Council celebrated record recycling rates, higher than any other metropolitan area, following the introduction of a new waste service earlier this year.
The borough’s residents are recycling more than 51 per cent of all household waste according to Government figures.
Among those affected is 53-year-old housewife Sue Cook, who lives at her home in Ingledew Close, Willenhall, with husband Phillip and son Ian.
“There are only three of us and the recycling bin is already full,” said Mrs Cook.
“Obviously everyone is entitled to a Christmas holiday, but I just don’t understand why collections can’t take place on Christmas Eve. There are plenty of other people working on Christmas Eve.”
The council introduced a three-bin scheme at the start of the year.
Householders get a green bin for recycled waste, grey bin for normal rubbish, and a brown bin for garden waste.
Mark Holden, head of Streetpride at Walsall Council, confirmed collections would not take place on Christmas Eve.
“Christmas Eve is an agreed council holiday along with 25 December and 28 December, which is why there will be no collections on December 24,” he said.
“Staff will be paid for working on December 28 which is a statutory bank holiday as they work to clear the extra rubbish generated at this time of year.”
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Looks like the rats might have a right feast this year..
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There are recycle bins at supermarkets?
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could someone explain to me the difference between working christmas eve, and new years eve.. and also, i contacted street pride on 17dec, regarding …clear plastic bags, and cardboard boxes, to put extra recycling in, and was told to use supermarket bags, as the collectors can see through tuese, and i was also told that if the recycling was put in boxes, and due to having to put out the boxes, possibly in the wet, then if the boxes fell apart the refuse collectors would clean up the fallen rubbish !!!!!I WILL WAIT AND SEE, but i am not holding my breath.
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I don’t suppose we’ll get a refund on our poll tax as compensation!!
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The tip is open 27th to the 30th, 9am to 5pm…..there are recycling centres at many supermarkets……instead of queueing overnight for the Ikea/Next sale, why not take the rubbish yourself??
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to the above… why do we pay our council tax !!!!! have you got time to go to these places cause i have not – then theres the carbon in your car that they keep harping on about you cant win!!!!!!
also it would not have been so bad if they had said your not using your brown bins use these to recyle as well – well blow it im burning mine hmmmmm let see what complaints i get from this and i’ll be ready i can tell u
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To all the ignorant fools who complain about their council tax, hope you realize you only pay about £2 per week for your bin. The rest goes on street lighting, schools, police, fire service, street litter, libraries, parks and loads more. Yes you jokers can have a refund and live like pigs because you squeal like them.
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No 6. If you have time to burn it then you have time to take it to the tip…
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There are plenty of people working on christmas eve – yes i am one of those – so why shouldnt council workers work the day too – i pay my council tax and with an increase ever year i feel i want the best service – what about if the council decided – its christmas eve – we’ll turn all the street lights off – there is no difference – i pay for a service and expect that service to be done – i dont care weather thats £2 a week or £100! As for collecting rubbish that the refuse collectors drop well i can talk from experience – it will stay exactly where they have dropped it!! Cushy council jobs – wish we all had one!!!!
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Bleet bleet bleet…blah blah….blimey, some people eh? I tell you what, i shall take my stuff myself & if those “why should i?” moaners want to live whining and wingeing as usual then so be it. I mean, there’s actually only a couple of days really. Dump is open people!!! “Have no time?” – yeah, right. Doubtless you’ll have ‘time’ to visit the shops, doubtless you’ll have ‘time’ to sit around eating chocolates all day – and don’t bleat on about ‘carbon’, a nice handy one to pop out when it suits you huh? Y’know, i seriously wonder about people these days. Whether you agree with it or not the binmen are off. Deal with it. I’ll be working, but i don’t begrudge the guys the time off – all good if you can get it. So, a novel solution to the problem? – how about getting off your backsides and doing something for yourselves for once???
Oh i forgot, that means taking some form of ‘responsibility’ doesn’t it?
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Stop moaning anyone would think it was a public service !!
Here in not so sunny (at the moment) Spain bins are empted EVERY day of the year including Christmas day.
Exactly the sort of service one would expect back home but fail to get.
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Why aren’t these bin working shifts to cover this. What do people pay council tax for, services have been cut and the employees are NOT doing their jobs.
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i have no problem with the council staff having their christmas leave! ( i wish i was as lucky)
but why is it that bins due to be emptied on thursday wont get done until the 31st and bins due to be emptied on friday are being done on monday???? surely thursdays should be monday and fridays on the tuesday! bonkers!!!
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I am originally from Wolverhampton and now live in Scotland, over the christmas period we have our bins emptied every week instead of the usual fortnightly uplift.
As for the remark of the refuse collectors comments, council tax payers only pay £2.00 per week because thats all your worth!!!
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