Residents ‘rubbish' bin collections after Central Bedfordshire service is resumed for Christmas
Delays and confusion over recycling bin collections have been ‘rubbished’ by residents.
The service was paused on December 8 after the council said its contractor tried to impose a last-minute price hike following a fire at the contractor’s depot.
But Central Bedfordshire Council said it worked ‘flat out’ to find a solution, and collections of recycling waste officially re-started on Monday (December 15) after it found a new contractor.
But the pause has caused a backlog, with residents unhappy that no extra collection is being organised to avoid recycling rubbish piling up.
Instead, people have been advised to hold on to recycling at home, or book a slot and take it to their nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre.
One upset Sandy resident said: "The recycling collection was supposed to be last week – but of course it wasn't, and as it's only collected fortnightly, it won't be collected until Christmas Eve now, so it will have been out there about a month.
"I can't understand it. If the company was under contract with the council, why don't they sue for not fulfilling that contract? At the end of the day it's us taxpayers that are paying for it.
"And we have to take extra rubbish to the tip? That's very environmentally friendly, using that fuel to take it. That's going to offset what we put in to get recycled, and don't forget you have to book a slot now too."
Cllr Adam Zerny, leader of Central Bedfordshire Council, apologised for the inconvenience.
He said: “The contractor, AWM, which treats our recycling waste suspended their service with just one business day's notice and no time to make alternative arrangements.”
He added: "While we appreciate how much inconvenience this is causing residents, we appreciate their patience and know they want to see public money spent appropriately.”
A statement on the council website said: “We are holding the contractor responsible. This is a complex situation involving contractual and legal matters, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment further on the legal advice and action we are taking.
“Contrary to some speculation on social media, the council does not have any unpaid invoices.”
And it explained: “Firstly, please be aware that if your usual collection date falls on the week commencing Monday, December 22 that it will follow the revised Christmas schedule.
“For residents who didn’t have their recycling collected last week, we have updated our website about your next collection – because of Christmas, collection dates have changed, so please check to make sure you don’t miss your next collection.
“If you are able to, please hold on to your recycling and put it in your bin if there is space at your next scheduled collection.
“We appreciate that at this time of year especially, there is more recycling waste than normal and you may not be able to store it or have space in your bin for it at your next collection.
“Unfortunately, we cannot take additional recycling left next to the bin, as this would slow down scheduled collections and prevent rounds from being completed, and we do not want that to happen.
“We appreciate your patience while we get back on track.”
People are advised to take recycling to their nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre – book your slot here or as a last resort, place recycling in their black bin.