Garden bin service is a waste of time, says party leader (From Crewe Guardian)

Garden bin service is a waste of time, says party leader

9:00am Wednesday 25th January 2012 in News By David Morgan

A LIBERAL Democrat leader has accused Cheshire East Council of failing to inform Alsager residents about changes to their garden waste collections.

The authority’s brown bin service was suspended throughout December and January.

But Rod Fletcher, Leader of Cheshire East Liberal Democrats, said there has been an ‘appalling breakdown in communications’ as the bins were put out for collection around a fortnight ago.

Clr Fletcher, of Cranfield Drive, also said that he has been told by Sandbach residents that they have not received a schedule of waste collections in the post.

He said: “Cheshire East Liberal Democrats welcome the chance to discuss arrangements for future changes to collections at a forthcoming enviroment scrutiny committee.

“But in the meantime we urge members of the public to make their views known to officers and the cabinet about the appalling breakdown in communications to the public about changes to bin collections.”

The ward councillor for Alsager added: “What is happening to the refuse vehicles and loaders while the brown bins are not being collected?

“Three refuse vehicles stood in Town Yard, Alsager, for nine months last year without turning a wheel but the Council Tax payers were still paying leasing charges on them.

“November to February is the prime time for pruning shrubs and trees.There are also many Christmas trees waiting for collection.

“My brown bin has been full since mid December and so have many others.

“It is a good job that Cheshire East don’t fine people for putting there bins out on the wrong day.”

A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said that the brown bin rota will restart on January 30 and the suspension of the service saved taxpayers money when the ‘demand was minimal’.

She said: “All residents were informed of the suspension via their collection calendars, which are available online.

“The December/January period has been identified as a time when the amount of green waste is significantly reduced, hence the suspension of collections for this type of waste.

“Cheshire East is saving council taxpayers’ money by suspending green-waste bin collections over the six-week period when demand is minimal.

“The current waste collection calendars expire at the end of February. There are no plans at the current time to deliver calendars for 2012/13 to residents in the south of the borough.

“Calendars have not been delivered to residents in the north of the borough for some time.

“The new calendars will be available published on the Cheshire East Council website by the end of February.

“All residents can use these for information or print them off for future reference.”

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