Earlier last month I challenged the Green-led Lancaster City Council on wheelie bin warnings they had issued to residents.
As residents are aware, earlier this year Lancaster City Council took the decision to move away from recycling storge boxes in preference of wheelie bins when the Government launched the Simpler Recycling Scheme, which included the creation of food waste bin collections, along with existing paper/card, dry recyclables (glass, metal and plastic), and general waste.
For many people in Lancaster’s terraced houses, this created an issue of where to place the new bins as their rear gardens were inaccessible or too small.
Subsequently, Lancaster City Council began giving warnings and fines to residents placing bins in the front yards of their properties, as well as the rear alleyways which have been historically used for bin storage.
I’m pleased to provide an update that following my enquiries, Lancaster City Council has confirmed “…the project will now focus more on residents who are presenting waste incorrectly or experiencing issues with waste management, rather than on the location of bins in back streets. Bins that present a health and safety risk or obstruct public access will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.”
This is the right thing to do and I’m pleased the council have had a rethink on this, because fundamentally it isn’t fair for the council to force a move to new wheelie bins then fine residents who don’t have the space for them.