Festive bin collection advice ‘could have been better’

8:35am Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Mark Stead, mark.stead@thepress.co.uk

Bags of rubbish spill over the pavement as they wait to be collected in Lockwood Street, York Bags of rubbish spill over the pavement as they wait to be collected in Lockwood Street, York

A LEADING councillor has said rubbish collection changes could have been better publicised, after many residents voiced anger about overflowing bins.

Changes to collection dates were implemented over Christmas and the New Year period, but The Press has received a string of complaints from people who said they did not know when their bins would be emptied.

Anger came from Acomb, Dringhouses and Woodthorpe, Fulford Road and The Groves. Residents said full bins were left out for days because of the uncertainty. City of York Council had said its plans would be “widely publicised”, on its website and in council offices, libraries and on more than 90,000 leaflets.

The authority said some waste collection staff had to be diverted on to flooding duties because of recent heavy rain but ten tonnes of waste was collected daily over the holiday period, compared to the daily average of 4.5 tonnes.

Coun David Levene, cabinet member for environmental services, said yesterday: “Clearly the redeployment of some staff for flood operations was something which had to happen, so we thank residents for their patience in areas where there was a delay to their collections.

“We acknowledge there have been some issues around how the changes to collections have been communicated, and we will take this on board in how we communicate revisions to any collection dates in the future. We understand refuse and recycling collections are extremely important services to all residents.”

Residents in Briggs Street and Fountayne Street, in The Groves, said yesterday that some bins were still uncollected.

The council said most bins were emptied on Saturday but getting to to others had been difficult because of more weekend parking.

All grey bin collections have now been completed and recycling collections were due for completion yesterday or today.

Geoff Derham, the council’s head of waste and fleet services, said “early predictions” suggested York saw record Christmas recycling levels and at least a 30 per cent increase in the amount of household waste collected. He said: “Despite the huge amount of waste and recycling being presented, the council is working round the clock to ensure all areas are collected as soon as possible.

“Unfortunately, unprecedented demand on services, teamed with flooding issues over the Christmas period, resulted in isolated areas experiencing delays as staff were brought in from waste services to work on the flood team.”

Comments(30)

Rich Picking says...
8:48am Tue 8 Jan 13

We have viewed the council website regularly for news of our bin collections in the Osbaldwick and Dewernthorpe area and even up until yesterday the dates were changing. Yesterday morning it stated that collection was for today 8th Jan (i put my bin out) I checked the website again last night and discovered that the collection had changed to the 15th Jan (bin back in) when will normal service ressume ?

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Oaklands Resident says...
9:38am Tue 8 Jan 13

It's much worse than The Press or Levene are admitting. The Council should have taken the possibility of bad weather (flooding or ice) into their plans when they decided not to empty bins on New Years Day.

Now some properties haven't had a recycling collection for over 3 weeks.

Apparently storage areas in some blocks of flats are packed with rubbish while paper recycling containers at some sites are full and overflowing……as are many street litter bins (the ones that we still have).

The Council have now put the following on their web site “Due to exceptional operational problems there have been some delays with catching up with the re-scheduled collections, as detailed on this page.
Recycling collections in Dunnington, Foxwood and Woodthorpe will take place as soon as possible this week. We apologise for any problems this has cased and can assure you that we are working hard to catch up with this work”.

Heaven knows what that means – the floods are long gone - but most people seem to have put their recycling out, many for a third time.

Complete shambles doesn’t begin to sum up the Council’s performance.

I gather that many residents are complaining to the Local Government Ombudsman and are seeking compensation.

Leven should resign

Bring back annual Council elections.

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Candy Cupcake says...
9:47am Tue 8 Jan 13

For the 2nd year in a row, the council sent me and local residence the wrong Collection timetable!! A week later the correct one was posted... This has obviously a cost implication, surely a cash strapped Council would be ensuring that small details like this was done properly and correct in the first place, and for it to happen again?? If this was the private sector then most certainly questions would be asked and people made accountable!

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bob the builder says...
9:53am Tue 8 Jan 13

We still haven't had recycling collected since 18 December in Woodthorpe! Our black bins were done 18 December then not till 5 January 2013! No wonder the streets are full of rubbish - hardly saving money, which is what this was all about. Labour isn't working.

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bob the builder says...
10:02am Tue 8 Jan 13

I've just found out that according to the council's website they claim our last recycling collection was 11 December 2012 and the next will be 15 January 2013, so that's over a month. If you go to the recycling banks at the supermarkets they are overflowing, and unless you have a car you can't get to James St as they won't let you in with a van.

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again says...
10:16am Tue 8 Jan 13

bob the builder wrote:
I've just found out that according to the council's website they claim our last recycling collection was 11 December 2012 and the next will be 15 January 2013, so that's over a month. If you go to the recycling banks at the supermarkets they are overflowing, and unless you have a car you can't get to James St as they won't let you in with a van.
..unless you have the free (to coun. tax payers) and easily obtainable vouchers.

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atorycouncil2014 says...
11:02am Tue 8 Jan 13

Rich Picking wrote:
We have viewed the council website regularly for news of our bin collections in the Osbaldwick and Dewernthorpe area and even up until yesterday the dates were changing. Yesterday morning it stated that collection was for today 8th Jan (i put my bin out) I checked the website again last night and discovered that the collection had changed to the 15th Jan (bin back in) when will normal service ressume ?
May 2015 when these incompetent student politicians playing at running a city are finally cast aside and we survey the wreckage of the city

Unless more have the courage of Cllr Jeffries

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xtc says...
11:18am Tue 8 Jan 13

Better info,in fulford we got none!

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Pete the Brickie says...
11:24am Tue 8 Jan 13



Despite the huge amount of waste and recycling being presented, the council is working round the clock to ensure all areas are collected as soon as possible.



Strange because you rarely see a bin wagon doing anything other than parked at James Street Depot after lunch time.



The council said most bins were emptied on Saturday but getting to to others had been difficult because of more weekend parking.



So collections were not carried out on new years day presumably to save money on extra payments then refuse collectors were paid extra to work on a Saturday to catch up?




ten tonnes of waste was collected daily over the holiday period, compared to the daily average of 4.5 tonnes



I'd like to know how that was achieved? If they managed that sort of production rate all year round they could do the same amount of work with half the staff. It can clearly be done.

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Trespar Zagenstuz says...
11:39am Tue 8 Jan 13

Candy Cupcake wrote:
For the 2nd year in a row, the council sent me and local residence the wrong Collection timetable!! A week later the correct one was posted... This has obviously a cost implication, surely a cash strapped Council would be ensuring that small details like this was done properly and correct in the first place, and for it to happen again?? If this was the private sector then most certainly questions would be asked and people made accountable!
Yes....'people made accountable in the private sector'...like bankers, for instance?

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Lunatic says...
11:50am Tue 8 Jan 13

If you have too much rubbish, take it to the tip. **** about the problem whilst at the same time just throwing more rubbish onto the streets is just stupid.

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Trespar Zagenstuz says...
12:23pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Lunatic wrote:
If you have too much rubbish, take it to the tip. **** about the problem whilst at the same time just throwing more rubbish onto the streets is just stupid.
..assuming you have a car, of course.

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Anotherslownewsday says...
1:17pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Christ on a bike ; GET A BLOODY LIFE.

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SteadyOn says...
1:33pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Anotherslownewsday wrote:
Christ on a bike ; GET A BLOODY LIFE.
I think you'll find his name is Paul.

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yorkborn66 says...
2:08pm Tue 8 Jan 13

My understanding is the vouchers as you put it is for trailers 6ft and under (non commercial waste) Vans treated as commercial waste, weighed on and off weigh bridge and they must have a waste license to begin with to carry waste.

This refuge collection really needs to changed, clearly things have gone wrong.

I would like to see collections done on an evening like our European friends.(or not)
Bin out on an evening, emptied, put your bin back in the morning.
Got to be quicker and more cost effective as there is hardly any traffic.
No fold ups for commuters during the day, a win win situation I think.

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yorkborn66 says...
2:10pm Tue 8 Jan 13

again wrote:
bob the builder wrote:
I've just found out that according to the council's website they claim our last recycling collection was 11 December 2012 and the next will be 15 January 2013, so that's over a month. If you go to the recycling banks at the supermarkets they are overflowing, and unless you have a car you can't get to James St as they won't let you in with a van.
..unless you have the free (to coun. tax payers) and easily obtainable vouchers.
My understanding is the vouchers as you put it is for trailers 6ft and under (non commercial waste) Vans treated as commercial waste, weighed on and off weigh bridge and they must have a waste license to begin with to carry waste.

This refuge collection really needs to changed, clearly things have gone wrong.

I would like to see collections done on an evening like our European friends.(or not)
Bin out on an evening, emptied, put your bin back in the morning.
Got to be quicker and more cost effective as there is hardly any traffic.
No hold ups for commuters during the day, a win win situation I think.

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Zetkin says...
2:32pm Tue 8 Jan 13

It's been a bit inconvenient, but try as I might I can't burst a blood vessel over this, or even get a bit red in the face.

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Sillybillies says...
3:00pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Clearly the redeployment of some staff for flood operations was something which had to happen

Doing what exactly, how many of them? I wish the Press had some reporters who would question what they were spoon fed.

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Trespar Zagenstuz says...
3:28pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Sillybillies wrote:
Clearly the redeployment of some staff for flood operations was something which had to happen

Doing what exactly, how many of them? I wish the Press had some reporters who would question what they were spoon fed.
It's an interesting deployment of staff, from dustman to flood-preventer.
Maybe all householders should have filled their wheelie-bins with flood-water, and had it collected....

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emen says...
4:03pm Tue 8 Jan 13

In the Selby council area they put small labels on every bin informing of the changed collection dates. And despite significant flood problems with many local roads closed the bins were always emptied on the day advised.

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Ageing Hippy says...
4:54pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Whinge, whinge, whine, whine, moan, moan, gripe, gripe, grizzle, grizzle....... so the binmen are a bit late, big deal!! get a life, i see there is talk of compensation claims going in, that just about sums up the attitude of most of these "residents". Here's an idea, turn off The Jeremy Kyle Show, get off your fat lazy ar**s and get rid of some of your own rubbish.

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bob the builder says...
5:38pm Tue 8 Jan 13

again wrote:
bob the builder wrote:
I've just found out that according to the council's website they claim our last recycling collection was 11 December 2012 and the next will be 15 January 2013, so that's over a month. If you go to the recycling banks at the supermarkets they are overflowing, and unless you have a car you can't get to James St as they won't let you in with a van.
..unless you have the free (to coun. tax payers) and easily obtainable vouchers.
.. not for commercial vehicles, the permit scheme is for 4x4 and trailers. We are permitted in if registered and charged a minimum of around £45 + vat per load.

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bob the builder says...
5:42pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Trespar Zagenstuz wrote:
Sillybillies wrote:
Clearly the redeployment of some staff for flood operations was something which had to happen

Doing what exactly, how many of them? I wish the Press had some reporters who would question what they were spoon fed.
It's an interesting deployment of staff, from dustman to flood-preventer.
Maybe all householders should have filled their wheelie-bins with flood-water, and had it collected....
A lad on the green waste run told me he'd end up cleaning toilets while there were no collections. No wonder public toliets are so dirty the rest of the year! It's the management that are the problem, like any business they think they know best. Their partners probably put the waste out and are in the same position as the rest of us, hopefully dinner has been in the dog for a few nights.

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bob the builder says...
5:45pm Tue 8 Jan 13

So having checked the website before I went to work which said no recycling collection till 15 January, I've come home to find they collected black wheelie bins and recycling today! You couldn't make it up could you - someone needs to lose their job for this, if they keep it they'll just make the same mistakes next December.

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monkeyhanger says...
5:55pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Maybe could have put info in press or press on line,(or did they and I missed it?).I guess they have no money left after buying furniture for new luxury HQ.

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Willy Eckerslike says...
6:00pm Tue 8 Jan 13

A lad on the green waste run told me he'd end up cleaning toilets while there were no collections. No wonder public toliets are so dirty the rest of the year! It's the management that are the problem, like any business they think they know best. Their partners probably put the waste out and are in the same position as the rest of us, hopefully dinner has been in the dog for a few nights.

You have been lied to sir. The toilets are cleaned by a private company under contract to the council, so your man from the green bins would not have been sent to clean them. Plus he would not have been at work when there were no collections, none of the bin men were.

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Trespar Zagenstuz says...
10:02pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Willy Eckerslike wrote:
A lad on the green waste run told me he'd end up cleaning toilets while there were no collections. No wonder public toliets are so dirty the rest of the year! It's the management that are the problem, like any business they think they know best. Their partners probably put the waste out and are in the same position as the rest of us, hopefully dinner has been in the dog for a few nights.

You have been lied to sir. The toilets are cleaned by a private company under contract to the council, so your man from the green bins would not have been sent to clean them. Plus he would not have been at work when there were no collections, none of the bin men were.
He might be put to cleaning the boss's private bog-house.
Had you thought of that possibility?

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Magicman! says...
3:18am Wed 9 Jan 13

Our recycling is still standing out there... it's been out there for nearly a week as it was SUPPOSED to be collected with the grey bins on Thursday Jan 3... Considering that on Jan 2nd, Dodsworth Avenue had their grey bins and recycling done together you would have thought that the next days' route, Huntington, would have had the same thing done.... evidently not. We now have 3 weeks worth and are having to use contingency boxes as the green box for cans and plastic always gets full and overflowing on a 2 week run (because of the level of plastic in food/drinks packing we really should have bigger boxes or bins for these.... or even better, just have one bin for "Dry Recycling" - Marks and Spencers is able to do it with zero landfill, why not the council?) so if it doesn't get collected this week then whoever is collecting the stuff had better be prepared to sort the stuff in the contingency box as we won't have space to seperate it all!

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Paul Meoff says...
7:08am Wed 9 Jan 13

The world financial crisis, poverty, wars, natural disasters and the crime suddenly look insignificant when compared to the plight of waiting for the bins to be emptied. It's like living in a 3rd world war zone during a famine while a smallpox epidemic rages. I'm surprised the UN, Red Cross and International Rescue haven't been fully mobilised in York.

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YorkBorn&Bred says...
11:16am Wed 9 Jan 13

Paul Meoff wrote:
The world financial crisis, poverty, wars, natural disasters and the crime suddenly look insignificant when compared to the plight of waiting for the bins to be emptied. It's like living in a 3rd world war zone during a famine while a smallpox epidemic rages. I'm surprised the UN, Red Cross and International Rescue haven't been fully mobilised in York.
I think the point is were paying our council tax for a service and the provider isn't delivering, but would quite happily warn/fine you if you were to leave your bins out to early or in the wrong place.

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