The recycling revolution has arrived – but for some residents, East Herts Council’s (EHC) new waste collection system has brought no new bins, just confusion and frustration.
Monday (August 4) is “B-Day” as households in Bishop’s Stortford, Sawbridgeworth and the rest of the district can start using their three new containers to help meet the Government’s “simpler” recycling policy launched in March.
Residents started receiving the purple-lidded bins, for non-recyclable waste, and two food caddies – a brown one for outdoors and a smaller green one for the kitchen – from June 9 with strict instructions not to use them until the three-weekly collection schedule officially came into effect today.
But while some residents had concerns about their streets being turned into “bin cities”, others are living in a bin desert as their new equipment has failed to materialise.
On Friday the Indie asked on its Facebook page whether August the 4th would be Bindependence Day or a bin fire – and your responses revealed a mixed bag.
The comment that attracted most ‘likes’ came from Graham Brick, of Anglesey Close, Bishop’s Park, who reported that all his bins, stickers and detailed instructions had arrived.
Purple-lidded bins in Trinity Way. Picture: Nicola Mifsud
“Took a bit of reading and bin adjusting, pleased that soft plastic is now included, lucky to have enough space for all the bins not to get in the way,” he said. “Forgetting the politics of recycling, I think so far EHC have done a good job in this transition – it just needs a small bit of effort from the occupier to make it happen.”
But across the town, as well as in Sawbridgeworth and rural areas, not everyone was as well placed.
On the Parsonage estate, some streets had all of their new bins while others were still waiting. A truck turned up in Manston Drive on Thursday with purple bins but the workers told neighbours they had been specifically ordered. Houses in the road finally received their purple bins and food waste caddies on Saturday.
In Hadham Road, it’s a similar picture. Pam Baraud said: “Sent four emails since the beginning of July and finally got a reply a few days ago, so here’s hoping I get my new purple-lidded bin within the next week.”
Indie reporter Chris Carter with his newly delivered purple-lidded bin on the Parsonage estate
Nicky Robson said that the Twyford Road, Twyford Close and Hugh Villas streets still had no purple or food waste bins. She has been in regular email contact with the council in July. Last Tuesday (29th) she called and was told, after waiting 50 minutes for an answer, she should receive her bins last week.
She said on Friday: “Today my neighbour called them as still no bins received and was told that as our collection on Tuesday is to be mixed recycling (now black bin), if we’ve not separated it and it’s still all in the blue bin then we are to put a note on the blue bin stating that it has not been sorted due to the [purple] bin not yet delivered and they should collect it. Apparently they are only telling people this if they call!”
Samantha Read in Rhodes Avenue said: “Still haven’t received our bins. Three emails and a trip to the council office later and they assure me that we will receive our bins before the new recycling scheme starts. We shall see…”
In Stansted Road, Lara Horrax had received instructions about the new collection arrangements, but there was one problem: “None of our road have any bins. Honestly a joke. Useful as a chocolate teapot.”
Some residents are still missing their new bins despite repeated attempts to call the council. Cate Dalton Wilson in Albury Place said: “I’ve called EHC twice and both times have been told the bins are on the way. Not sure what to do next week if they haven’t arrived and no advice on the council’s website last time I checked.”
East Herts Council’s new waste and recycling collection plans
On St Michael’s Hurst, Neha Murie, of Westwood Place, said: “I’ve called the council three times and emailed four… no further forward and, to be quite frank, the council couldn’t care less! Given they’ve had over a year to sort this out, it’s pretty poor.”
Jenny Miles moved into a new build on the estate on July 18. She said: “Ordered bins about 10 days earlier and haven’t received anything. I happen to have a blue-lidded bin that I brought with me but nothing else. I put general rubbish out on collection day just in bin liners and it was collected. Otherwise my poor parents are taking it and putting it in their bins… which are now very full!”
And another St Michael’s Hurst resident, Sophie Smith, of Carlton Way, said that she was having new bins delivered that already contain fly larva. “Even inside the sealed envelope inside my new brown caddy is so gross!” she said.
Simone Murray branded the system a “joke”, having no black bin – which, under the new scheme, has been repurposed from general waste to mixed recycling (apart from paper and cardboard) – despite requests and some of her Cannons Mill Lane neighbours being without any of the new bins.
In Sawbridgeworth, Gemma Felstead, of Woodward Gardens, said the food waste bin she had delivered was broken and the new one would not arrive in time for the next collection. “Told to just put food waste in general bin until it does. Reported online 30 June. No record when called 28 July despite receiving email confirmation of my report.”
In Green Tye, near Much Hadham, Emma Riedo was waiting for her replacement black bin as she has two purples. “Had to email the council again today. From our local chat group, the residents of South End in Perry Green still don’t have their new bins.”
Robyn Lloyd is another resident with a surplus purple bin, having been given one to replace her black bin two years ago, but no black bin. “Have been chasing the council since March,” she said. “Have been promised each week since the new purple bins arrived that the extra purple bin will be taken and a black bin provided. Still nothing.”
Some wished they had been given reminders about repurposing their current bins. Elaine Sedgwick said: “All set in Pleasant Road and have sorted through the blue bin as there was no reminder to keep it to paper and cardboard following the last collection a couple of weeks ago.”
And Julia Walsh commented: “We’re doing the bin Hokey Cokey, putting things in and taking them out again.”
Local Reform UK liaison officer Colin Woodward, who used to live in Stortford and now lives in Norfolk, took a swipe at the council’s administration: “Reads like the Greens and Lib Dems have asked their supporters to post praising their new rainbow bin service.” Rhian Capener responded: “Maybe we really do like the new bin service? Not everything has to be scoring political points!”
She added: “I’m really pleased to be able to recycle so much more than before and also to have the weekly waste food collection. I don’t envisage problems with the non-recyclable waste bin collection moving to three-weekly either as previously our waste bin was often only half full on collection day, and under the new system we will need to use it less.”
On Thorley Park, Hannah Stockwell, who has all her bins in Larchwood, said: “I was stressing about it to start with, but now I’ve got my head round it all, it’s fine. The mixed recycling takes most stuff, and the food is collected weekly. Lucky enough to have space for the bins. Had to buy a different cat litter to try and cut down the amount used as it’ll only be collected every three weeks. I feel for people who have babies in nappies, as every three weeks will be rank.”
Her fellow Thorley Park resident, Annie Sampford, of Barley Hills, had no complaints as she has all the bins, information and stickers. But she was not totally content. The handle locking mechanism on the brown food bin does not work properly and the bags provided for her kitchen food caddy were a “strange size and very flimsy, not worth using”.
She said: “It’s a shame that after what must have been considerable planning and expense there doesn’t appear to have been enough consideration or testing of vital kit! Hopefully in the fullness of time the new system will bed in and we’ll all be recycling more efficiently.”
Edward James said: “I mean…it’s just not that big a deal. I’m just glad I no longer have to traipse into town with soft plastics and these are taken away to be recycled as part of the normal service.”
On the Havers estate, Hannah Bowyer, of Piggotts Way, was all set for the new system. “Don’t see what all the fuss is about – all pretty self-explanatory,” she said. “Glad to not have to take soft plastics with me when I do the shopping anymore.”
Jo Kavanagh had some advice that is relevant to every single household: “Reduce your waste to start off with. I remember when a household of six had only one bin and it was never a problem.”
And the last word to Prosenjit Sanjay Kumar: “Waste not want not. Finally there is something different to talk to neighbours about apart from glorious British summer.”