Letter: Wheelie Bins Left on Pavements Are A Menace

Published on: 10 Dec, 2013
Updated on: 10 Dec, 2013

From Bernard Parke

Hon Alderman

Surely the time has now come to take a more rigorous stand against the many people that insist on leaving their wheelie bins on pavements other than on collection days.

Not only do they do nothing for the appearance of our town but they are a danger to the public, especially to mothers with pushchairs and those in wheelchairs or mobility vehicles. They may be forced into the road.

I know that council officers share my concern for this appalling disregard for others in so much as they regularly place warning notices to warn offenders that they are in breach of acceptable standards of behaviour.

The time has now come to take remedial action by possibly employing the traffic wardens to place penalty notices under the Litter Act .

No doubt this would help concentrate the minds of those who have scant regard for others.

Something must be done now.

Responses to Letter: Wheelie Bins Left on Pavements Are A Menace

Keith Reeves Reply

January 4, 2014 at 10:46 pm

Perhaps we can reflect on the issue a little more deeply?

In the days prior to collection of recycling materials we would have placed a single dustbin (or two) or rubbish sack (or two) outside our properties.

Now we have to put out (and have room to store on our properties) a refuse wheelie bin(s), a recycling wheelie bin(s), a garden waste wheelie bin(s) (optional) and a food waste bin: not all every week of course.

No doubt there are inconsiderate people out there but a sense of proportion is required and an appreciation of the practical difficulties the system may present in some cases.
Brian Holt Reply

January 5, 2014 at 8:43 pm

This is made worse because the recycling crews do not return the wheelie bins to the edge of the property as we were told they would.

Instead they just dump them on the pavement. Late Monday, after the collection along Fentum Road and Northway, empty wheelie bins were left on their sides partly on the road.

It’s the same old service as before before we had wheelie bins. The crews rush around empty the bins and then leave them there. No one ever comes round from the council to see how well the crews performed.
Jim Allen Reply

January 7, 2014 at 5:54 pm

I’m all right Jack, end of a road and enough space to store multiple bins and park off-road as well. Sadly councils in general, seem to think everyone has this amount of space.

Walnut Tree Close comes to mind, steep steps, no space at the front and terraced houses. These wheelie bins, though nice for me and my kind, are a menace and a blight for these home owners who do not have the same space.

Our planners who sometimes stick houses into complexes of 50+ to the hectare, demand one bicycle place per four bedrooms but fail to ensure that there is space for multiple wheelie bins.

We must be pragmatic and start collecting weekly or even daily for those who simply cannot ‘store rubbish’.