Wheelie Bin Concern

RESIDENTS living in densely populated and narrow streets are concerned over plans to introduce wheelie bins and fortnightly collections, after a new £144million waste contract was announced.

 Southend Council confirmed at the beginning of October that SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK would be taking take over recycling, waste, and street cleansing services from Veolia starting in April 2025.

 The firm will be tasked with providing alternate bi-weekly collections for waste and recycling alongside the management of two recycling centres, a transfer station and street cleaning operations.

 However, thousands of residents living in areas like Milton and Westborough wards claim they will struggle to accommodate wheelie bins on their property.

 Lydia Hyde, councillor responsible for climate, environment and waste, has reportedly said that she is confident the issues will be resolved, with homes set to be assessed and “pick-up points” near the front of properties for collections created.

Coun Hyde said: “In the in-between period we are finalising every single property to see which can have bins and which can’t.

 “There are some areas of concerns where it will be harder for pick-ups and a lot of that will come down to where the pick-up points are for the wheelie bins. Those details are going to be finalised in the next few months.”

 Those deemed to have insufficient room for bins will continue to get bags and services to flats will remain unchanged, with sacks provided to go in large bins collected weekly.

 Free bulky waste collections have been confirmed as part of the service and while most residents will have 180 litre bins, families of six or more will get 240 litre bins.

 She added: “We recognise that the move to alternate weekly collections and the introduction of wheeled bins is a significant adjustment for residents. We want residents to understand the new scheme and how collections will work, and so we will be providing lots of information and engaging with residents throughout the transition period.”

 Ms Hyde said that the main plan was to encourage more recycling: “The number one thing we are trying to do and where the real cost is, is in our disposal contract.

 “We are talking hundreds of thousands of pounds, one per cent of recycling saves £100,000. It’s a lot of money.

 “The reason councils do move over to having this arrangement is that it encourages people to recycle waste more. At the moment we are at 40 per cent recycling and in our black bags we know that over half of what they are putting in there could be recycled. A lot of food waste is going in for example.”

 As part of the new contract, a new resident app, compatible with Alexa and a dedicated website, will be introduced to help people keep up to date with information.

Picture: Coun Hyde with the new bins.
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