New system sees Bexley waste-related inquiries soar

10:55am Wednesday 15th October 2008

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CALLS from the public during the summer about Bexley Council’s new rubbish collection service rose to more than 700 a day.

At its peak, in the days following the two-day council workers’ strike, extra calls reached more than 1,000 a day.

Temporary staff had to be drafted in and trained, but the sheer volume of incoming calls meant people had to queue to get their calls answered.

A report to Bexley councillors has detailed the problems and advantages of the new system, which sees recycled rubbish collected weekly and the rest of the rubbish collected every two weeks.

Council officers have reported a dramatic drop in the amount of refuse which cannot be recycled since the new system was introduced.

Over a 22-week period since the new system began, non-recycled rubbish has fallen by 5,600 tonnes, or 15 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

At the same time, the amount of compostable waste being recycled has risen by 2,000 tonnes — 23 per cent — and other recycled items such as cans and paper have risen by 1,000 tonnes or 13 per cent.

The report says this was much better than expected and if it continues, will save the council a significant amount in waste disposal costs.

But as the new service was gradually introduced across the borough, missed bin collections have risen from 25 to currently around 70 a day, either because people had not realised their collection times had changed or because crews were unfamiliar with their new roads or did not have access to bin storage areas.

And people are still continuing to have problems with smells from their bins and maggots infesting their non-recycled rubbish which sits in a bin for two weeks.

Officers say they plan to issue more guidance to residents on washing bottles and cans, wrapping their food waste and lining their brown bins with paper to stop food waste from sticking to the bin.

People are advised to wrap soiled nappies in sealed plastic bags and to wrap up non-recycled rubbish which may contain remains of food, such as food wrappings, before putting them in the bin.

The council will also be issuing advice to people on how to deal with other problems such as infestations of maggots in their bins.