Buying bins to get on with the job

News Desk
Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - 11:33

Plans for Plymouth to get greener and cleaner get off the starting blocks this week with the go-ahead for a major bulk buy of bins.

Over 11,500 bins of a variety of sizes are to be placed on the order books so that the move to alternative weekly collections from May can be as smooth as possible.

Different sizes are being ordered which include larger litter bins that are gradually being installed across the city to replace small, dog muck bins. The larger containers are suitable for both dog mess and normal rubbish. 

Recycling bins will also be introduced across the city so that people can recycle as they are out and about in Plymouth.

Councillor Mike Leaves, Cabinet member for Street Scene and the Environment said “We need the right bin in the right place to make sure our residents can help us achieve the recycling rates we are looking for and help us to keep the streets clean.

“This includes bins for recycling in our parks and the city centre, so that people get the message we are serious about making Plymouth greener and cleaner.”

The Council is currently re-organising its street scene and waste teams so that they are more co-ordinated.

In the run-up to the new collection coming online, the teams will be testing the routes as well as identifying where a more tailored approach is needed.

Efforts will be made to reduce the number of areas using bags, as they are ineffective and tend to blow about.

Improvements to the waste collections by installing community collection points in some city centre areas have already led to a marked improvement to the state of the streets around them, for instance.

“We want to provide people with the right tools to help us do the job properly,” he added.

The delegated decision gives the go-ahead for £986,000 to be allocated from the capital programme for the bin contract which will see the bins delivered across two years. The bins are designed to have a shelf life of 10 years.

Households will not automatically be given a new bin to use in addition to their wheelie bins. Instead, council teams who are familiar with the rounds on the ground will identify where there is a potential problem and replacements issued, depending on factors, including the number of people in the house, space for the containers and any relevant access issues.

More garden bags are also being ordered ahead of renewed efforts to encourage people to dispose of garden waste, again to increase recycling rates.

The delegated decision maybe called in for scrutiny.

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