Residents were also informed ‘side waste’ would not be collected due to lack of resources
Wheelie bins in Sefton(Image: Copyright Unknown)
Sefton Council has apologised amid growing anger from residents about disruption and delays to post-Christmas bin collections. The local authority also confirmed ‘side waste’ would not be collected during upcoming bin collections due to a lack of resources – asking people to prioritise what they put in their wheelie bins.
The update from the council related to collections in parts of Ainsdale, Birkdale, Ince Blundell and Southport, it said: “{Those areas] that usually have a collection on a Thursday, that was due to be collected on Saturday January 4, due to Christmas changes, will now be collected on Monday January 6 or Tuesday January 7.
“Parts of Formby, Birkdale and Southport that usually have a collection on a Friday, that was due to be collected on Monday January 6, due to Christmas changes, will now be collected on Tuesday January 7 or Wednesday January 8. We apologise for any inconvenience, our team are working as hard as possible to make sure your bins are collected.”
The statement was published on Seton Council’s Facebook page and attracted numerous complaints and responses. Commenting on the post, Amy PF said: “Our brown bin was last emptied at the beginning of December due to cancellation after cancellation… our green bin is currently acting as a storage facility ready to refill the brown as and when it’s finally emptied again.”
Generic picture of Sefton Council bins
Another Sefton resident, Alasdair Smith said: “We have been without recycling as planned by the council for one month over the Christmas the period. No to side waste is ridiculous my brown bin will be full again straight away.”
The issue of disruption to the collection schedule seemed to take on a secondary importance as most of the ire was reserved for the side waste issue. Side waste is extra waste placed on top of or next to a household’s bin instead of being contained within it.
Another response to Sefton Council’s post was from Kay Johnson who said: “So the brown bins, which contain glass, cans, bottles and cardboard, which is in abundance over the Christmas and New Year period, haven’t been collected for a month. And yet we are not allowed to put out side waste. Where do you expect it to go? We did not cancel the collections, you did. So you need to deal with the consequences.”
Due to the frequency of complaints about side waste, Sefton Council responded to one comment and explained: “Unfortunately, we do not have the resources for side waste. This would mean more trips to empty the wagon. Please only present what fits in the bins. Thank you.”