Families forgotten and ignored over one black bin policy

Basildon Liberal Democrats are calling for an urgent review into the criteria for residents to receive a second black bin after an FOI request revealed that 57% of applications have been rejected in November and December.

Stewart Mott, Liberal Democrat campaigner for Crouch & Castledon and Wickford Town Councillor:

"From speaking to residents we are concerned to hear of examples of large families, particularly those with young children, who've been rejected by the Council for a second black bin. The freedom of information request we've submitted has revealed almost 2,500 residents have had their requests rejected in just two months since the scheme began.

We've heard from families that are having to resort to taking their non-recyclable waste to Pitsea Recycling Centre, their workplace, or paying for a private collection service. This is clearly unacceptable.

The waste collection changes have provoked lots of discussion across the Borough, which is a sign of serious problems with how the changes have been implemented.

We support the Council adopting separate collections for recycling and the goal of reducing non-recyclable waste that is expensive for the council to dispose of. However, there are serious questions to be raised over the how these changes have been managed and implemented.

A benefit of the changes was an expected reduction in litter, however the flawed design of the new reusable recycling bags has seen more litter than before. Councils up and down the country, including our neighbours in Brentwood and Chelmsford, have been successfully collecting recycling in reusable bags for years without causing litter. There appears to have been no lessons learned from the experience of successful collections run by other councils.

Cllr Blake, Cabinet Member for the Environment, Carbon Reduction and Waste Management should offer their resignation over this fiasco".