Recycling scheme is 'a shambles'

Kirkby Lonsdale Parish Council says it has led to mounting piles of rubbish outside people's homes, a lack of wheelie bins and boxes, and confusion because of a changing collection timetable.

And fears have been expressed that the situation could get worse over the Christmas and New Year period as the amount of waste rockets and the collection times are re-adjusted.

But South Lakeland District Council, the operator of the scheme, has hit back by calling it a "great success" and said that it had received a number of congratulatory calls from the public.

The town lost its decades-old weekly collection of rubbish earlier this year when the new system was introduced. It involves green garden waste being collected one week from green wheelie bins, and household waste in grey wheelie bins being collected the following week.

Blue boxes are also collected which have been used to deposit cans, glass and paper and separate them from household rubbish.

SLDC recently suspended the green waste collections until the end of February because of a drop in gardening activity during winter.

As a result, collections of household waste will be re-introduced weekly until the lighter nights return.

But SLDC has also had to issue a reminder to everyone that the blue boxes will only be collected fortnightly during December 1 and the end of January - not once a week as stated on its "collection calendar," which was distributed to residents.

Kirkby Lonsdale Parish Council says a series of problems has dogged the scheme and says: l The once-a-week household waste collection needs to be permanently reinstated.

l Some homes cannot accommodate a wheelie bin so bin bags are being left outside for two weeks.

l Not enough blue recycling boxes have been issued and they should be collected weekly during the festive period.

Parish councillor Allan Muirhead said: "No one is doubting that SLDC is very well intentioned with this, it's a good scheme. But the practicalities have still not been sorted out properly and we would like SLDC to take another look at it."

Coun Muirhead explained that, from December 1, people would have to dump household waste and green waste in the same grey bin, filling it up more quickly. This would be exacerbated by Christmas.

Coun Alan Day, a keen supporter of recycling, said: "The household waste wheelie bin fills up far too quickly for a fortnightly collection, it is inadequate that is the general feeling. It has been a shambles."

Lawrence Conway, assistant director of SLDC's Street Care scheme, said there had been a "small number of initial problems" but on the whole it had been welcomed and understood by residents.

He said the council would be happy to "investigate and resolve" problems and although it was prepared to provide homes with further blue boxes and green waste bins, issuing more grey household bins would discourage "recycling and waste minimisation".

Of calls for the household collections to be made once a week, he said the council was more likely to continue with the fortnightly collections because of the success rate.

He said: "The alternate weekly collection policy is an integral part of the scheme as it not only significantly reduces the financial cost but also focuses householders' minds on the need for waste minimisation and recycling.

"We would agree that more paper and glass products will be consumed during the festive period and would ask residents to use the blue box scheme, but also the paper and glass bank sites."

He added: "The council has received a number of congratulatory calls on the pilot scheme."