Residents Cross Over Wheelie Bin Swap

By Lucy Morgan Wed, 15 August 2012 3:45PM

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A Ryde resident is furious over plans to take away her wheelie bin.

Jayne Clews is one of a number of residents living in Meaders Road who have received a letter from the Isle of Wight Council about the change to recycling collection arrangements.

The letter states that because of difficulties collecting refuse from the street for "a number of years", wheelie bins are set to be replaced with clear sacks.

The letter states: "This has been largely due to the refuse collection vehicle being unable to drive along the road because of parked cars.

"Whilst we have managed in the past to continue to offer you a service by walking up and down the length of the road with refuse sacks and the kerbside boxes, more recently with the introduction of wheelie bins, the situation has now reached a point where changes are required."

Residents are told that on Tuesday 28 August, once wheelie bins have been emptied, they will be removed and replaced with a 6-month supply of clear sacks.

But Jayne told IW Radio that she is worried about where to keep the clear sacks when they are full. "Apparently we've got to store them, and I don't know where! If we leave them outside, they're going to get ripped, and I don't want them in my house because they are going to smell.

Either supply us with a black bin like we've already got, or leave it as it is."

In a statement, Sue Dasent, Isle of Wight Council strategic manager for procurement and contracts said: "For some time, refuse collection vehicles have had problems driving down Meaders Road. This is because of the tight space due to parked cars and it is a safety issue which needs addressing.

"After reviewing the collections, the council felt the best option was to give residents clear recycling sacks instead of wheelie bins. The other options would involve introducing parking restrictions or yellow lines which we felt were not in the interests of residents.

"These sacks are used by tens of thousands of households and to suggest these will be ripped open by vermin or animals and cause litter problems is simply inaccurate. Recyclable waste should not be contaminated with food waste anyhow and we do ask residents not to place sacks out for collection until 7am on the morning of the collection.

"Meaders Road residents have been informed of the changes to their waste collections and the sacks will be delivered by September."