Complaints soar as more forced to recycle (From The Argus)

Complaints soar as more forced to recycle

4:32pm Thursday 15th November 2007 in News By Rachel Pegg

The number of complaints about bin collections have rocketed since a council introduced a controversial waste and recycling scheme.

In the first few weeks of Rother District Council's new system there were up to 1,000 complaints a week.

Now the figure has stabilised at 150 - ten times higher than the number the council received before it started the new service in June.

Households outside Bexhill town centre now receive a bi-weekly rubbish collection, with recycling collected on alternate weeks.

There are also new rules about where householders have to put their bins and at what time.

Many ended up missing their fortnightly slot and resorted to taking their own rubbish to the tip.

In the first days of the scheme people would queue for hours with their black bin bags.

One of those who complained was Barbara Beck, of Parkhurst Road, Bexhill, who had to phone the council repeatedly for more than a month until her newspapers were collected for recycling.

Mrs Beck, 69, said things have now improved.

She said: "I do have to be fair, it has settled down. I think people in the outer spots are having more trouble than us in the town because we get a weekly collection whereas they only get fortnightly."

Maureen McIlroy, 72, of Hartfield Road, Cooden, Bexhill, said her neighbours have not had all their rubbish collected.

She said: "I just have one black bin bag which I put in my wheelie bin and put that out. I noticed one of my neighbours have had their wheelie bin plus a black bag alongside and the whole bag was left.

"Why can't they just take that as well?"

The system was introduced to encourage more people to recycle.

The council claims that aim has been achieved, with rates going up from 13 per cent in 2003 to 25 per cent this year. The rate is expected to be 27 per cent by the end of the financial year.

Council spokesman David Herman said it had been expected there would be teething problems with the introduction of a new system and a change in contractor to Verdant. Householders, he said, were also getting used to putting their bins out by 7am and, for some, in a different place.

He said: "It is such a massive shift from what was being done before. Some of the rounds have been changed. Some of the men that work the rounds have been changed. Some of the missed bins are general ones that have been overlooked.

"There is now a requirement for the householder to put the bin at the front of the property. Sometimes the householder hasn't put them in the correct place.

"It is simply the impact of the new contract and in some cases householders are getting used to the new system."

He said the improved recycling rates were "encouraging".

The council is planning to send a newsletter to all residents in the district updating them on issues such as the green waste collection.

What do you think about the new service? Leave your comments below.