Bins fiasco fury as families wait eight weeks for collections

Residents and opposition councillors are calling for an explanation over what they have called the bin collection fiasco in South Gloucestershire.

They said some areas had not had their bins emptied for up to eight weeks after delays caused by the Christmas holidays and then the snow.

Residents have been contacting the Evening Post complaining that their black wheelie bins containing general household waste have not been emptied for a month and green bins for garden waste and cardboard for up to eight weeks.

The latest resident to contact the Post is Ron Carr, of Hill, between Thornbury and Berkeley.

Mr Carr said that his green bin was emptied on Wednesday, eight weeks after the last collection.

He said: "I know the green bin is not a matter of life and death but the excuse was the 'snow'.

"This is the same snow that the milk collection tankers and the fuel delivery lorries managed to get through with very little disruption.

"My wife loaded up the car to take it to the Sort It centre but that was closed, I assume because of the 'snow', even though my wife drove to Thornbury in a little front-wheel drive car with no problem.

"The council needs to realise that people pay their council tax in advance and once it is paid a contract is entered into. The council have obviously breached this contract.

"If councils had to operate in the world of business, they would all be out of business within a month."

Labour councillor Pat Rooney, the party's spokeswoman on waste, said although the refuse and recycling crews from waste contractor Sita were working hard to clear the rubbish, householders had not been given clear information by South Gloucestershire Council about which bins to put out when normal schedules were resumed.

Ms Rooney, who represents the Woodstock ward, said calls by councillors to the council's street care department were only just being logged, showing the council was still struggling to get the problems sorted.

She said: "Local residents have accepted the snow presented major difficulties for Sita and are grateful for the efforts that staff made.

"But the council should have done more to inform people which bin would be collected once the collections resumed, as they did not fit the published schedule.

"The council stopped green bin collections – of garden waste and cardboard – in mid-January and concentrated on black bins instead, but still collected recyclables."

Heather Goddard, the council's executive member for communities, said she had already asked officers to look into missed waste collections and communications around the issue, both during and after the extreme weather either side of the Christmas and new year holiday.

She said: "I have been advised by Sita that, as of the end of today, every household would have had a black and green bin collection since January 25 and side waste will also be collected.

"My view on this is very simple. Residents pay for Sita's waste collection service through their council tax and if they are not getting what they paid for, then this needs to be thoroughly investigated to ensure lessons are learned, and I can confirm this has already started."

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