SOUTHEND Council has ruled out residents being able to demand a return to plastic sacks if they feel they don’t have room for new wheelie bins.
The council has delivered three new wheelie bins to every home in Southend deemed to have enough room for them. These are in addition to garden waste bins and food collection bins.
It follows a survey carried out by new waste contractor Suez but many streets in the city with terraced houses and tiny front gardens, some converted into flats, say the bins lined up against their homes are leaving Southend looking like “bin city”.
Residents can appeal to keep their plastic sacks and campaigner Amy Heathcote, was recently successful in her bid not to have the bins but Lydia Hyde, councillor responsible for climate, environment and waste, said not everyone who appealed would keep the sacks.
Ahead of a full council meeting on Thursday, Stephen Aylen, Independent councllor for Belfairs Ward, asked if residents could keep the sacks if they wished to.
In response, Lydia Hyde, councillor responsible for climate, environment and waste, said: “We are aware that some residents wish to remain on a sack collection. If unsatisfied with the original decision, residents can request a review of their property against the wheeled bin collections criteria.
“If the property is determined as suitable for wheeled bins then that will be the method of collection. It is not an open choice to stay on sacks, as the decision made by the previous administration was that properties would be assessed against the wheeled bin criteria.”
At the meeting Mr Aylen said: “No studies, although called for, were carried out, concerns ignored, the wheelie bins just signed off. No check on how it affects residents. For example, did you know that most household insurances are not valid if your wheelie bins are stored within 3 metres your property and also the council actually recommends they should be 1 metre away.”
Ms Hyde said: “I do not agree with the way that it's been done. I do think that it's a great shame that we missed the opportunity to talk to the public about this and I'm desperately disappointed that I've not had the power to do more than I have.”
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