Bolton Council debate issue of missed bins on collection day

Rubbish left uncollected across the borough has sparked widespread concerns in recent months and was brought up at a meeting of the full council.

Concerns about the council’s assisted bin collection services, which collects from people’s doors when they cannot take them to the kerbside were also raised.

Cllr Tracey Wilkinson, of Kearsley, said: “The service has fallen short of an acceptable standard on many recent occasions.

“Which is leaving some of our most vulnerable, elderly, and disabled residents facing difficulties, and I'm eager to understand what steps are being taken to ensure equitable access to this essential service.”

Bins were reported to have been uncollected in February (Image: Peter Holden)

Cllr Wilkinson also asked how many assisted bin collections had been missed in the last 13 months.

In February this year, The Bolton News reported that in some cases burgundy bins had not been collected since before Christmas.

At the time, the council had said that this was down to snow and ice disruptions.

But the most recent full council meeting heard how missed bins on collection day were still sparking concerns more than a month on.

Cllr Karen Hon, of Great Lever, said: “As much as we have asked the public for patience while this situation is resolved, it does seem quite a wait, especially if you bin hasn't been emptied on more than one occasion already.”

Next to raise the issue of bin collections was Cllr Andrea Taylor-Burke of Little Lever and Darcy Lever.

She said that recycling collections had been the most frequently missed collections and that there had also been problems with assisted bin collections.

Cllr Taylor-Burke said: “Although many are returned to within 48 hours, this still creates huge amounts of case work for us as councillors.

“Residents are really angry that council tax is being increased to the maximum and yet the services that mean the most to them are being cut and worry that there will be further problems with the paper bin going to four weekly collections.”

Cabinet member for the environment Cllr Richard Silvester said the assisted collection scheme did not keep data of how many collections had been missed.

Following the questions put, he said he hoped improvements would be made soon and said that six new bin lorries had been deployed over the last week.

This was ahead of a further 19 on order and set to be deployed between next month and August this year.

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Cllr Silvester said: “Delivery of waste and recycling services were disrupted in the early part of the calendar year largely as a result of an aging fleet and the associated vehicle defects.”

He said that weather conditions had also played a part, which he accepted was “frustrating for all residents” especially those in need of assisted collection.

But Cllr Silvester said he hoped the new vehicles and changes made by environment officers would help tackle problems like these in the months ahead.

He said: “This is because I listened to all of the concerns that were expressed at the January meeting of the council and acted upon those concerns.”