Refuse collection fiasco goes on

Extra staff have been taken on but they still have not been able to cope.

The three-bin system of recycled and general rubbish collection has caused outrage in the town.

Now the message is: Don't telephone us, send an email instead.

The advice is given by apologetic council leader Cllr Carl Maynard.

It is contained in his Ask the Leader slot on the council website.

The council has been accused of contributing to the recycling "chaos" by opting for smaller wheelie bins than those adopted by its neighbours.

The accusation is contained in one of a string of questions posed by angry householders to the leader.

The questioner asks: "Why has Rother bought 180-litre black wheelie bins for general waste collection when the UK Government recommended capacity is 240-litres and when your near council neighbours of Hastings and Wealden have both deployed the 240-litre size?

"By deploying the 180-litre slim-line version you have majorly contributed to the chaos that is already ensuing as people try to accommodate two weeks' worth of general waste into a wheelie bin that is the wrong size.

"Was the decision made on grounds of cost saving or on market research that told you that the average resident of Bexhill is an elderly pensioner living alone in a bungalow?"

The leader says: "Having consulted with Eastbourne and Wealden, the council's Waste Working Group agreed the size of the wheeled bins for this scheme in December, 2004.

"A 240-litre bin is available to Rother residents who are already separating as much recycling as possible.

"During this initial period of the new system we will not be providing larger bins as the main aim of the scheme is to ensure that as little material as possible is transferred to landfill. A Verdant staff member will help residents to ensure their domestic separation processes are in place and as each household varies a home visit will probably be necessary before a larger bin is provided.

"The cost difference between 180-litre and 240-litre bins is marginal and had no bearing on the decision."

Another questioner says: "The collection schedule for both waste rubbish and recyclables is a complete shambles.

"On June 4, everything was fine, ie the black wheelie bin was collected and then suddenly it all changed after that. We had another black wheelie bin day on June 11 but this wasn't collected until the next day and today (18th) the recyclables weren't collected.

"To add injury to insult, the dedicated call centre is just another faceless messaging service without a response.

"It seems to me that everything is just one-way traffic and the populace aren't given any consideration. I'd like to think that I am getting something for my money here but service doesn't seem to exist. Is it too much to expect a schedule to be adhered to and some sort of organisational aptitude to be attained?"

The leader says: "The logistical effort required to deliver new equipment and then make efficient collections from over 40,000 households has been significant and there have been incidents where properties or small postcode areas have been missed completely.

"This is obviously unacceptable and the council is working with the contractor, Verdant, to resolve specific problems as they are reported.

"At present we are experiencing a 4% (approximately 1,600 households) missed collection rate across the district. The first two-week collection cycle ended on Friday. June 15 and we expect that through the second cycle 18th to 29th June the missed collection rate will reduce. Unfortunately there may well be some households who are missed again as the collection crews become accustomed to their new working areas.

"All residents experiencing missed collections should report the type of collection that was missed (refuse or recycling) their name, address and postcode and a day time telephone number so that Verdant can enquire with residents direct if they have a problem finding a particular property.

"Whilst the council has taken on additional staff to deal with a substantial increase in the number of telephone calls we are currently unable to cope with the volume being received. For this we apologise and would ask that residents therefore report any service failures by e-mail utilising the Contact Us facility."

Another questioner asks: "I have read the article on your website 'Wheelie good recovery after Bexhill fire' written 29th May 2007. Can you tell me whether Rother's thousands of wheelie bins, boxes and lids destroyed in April's fire were insured? Who is footing the bill for their replacement?"

The leader says: "In this case the cost of replacing the bins and boxes destroyed in the fire has been met by the company responsible for their distribution and storage so did not affect the council's arrangements."