This Months Wheelie Bin Headlines

As we head towards a new year, what better time to round off the last month of 2016 with some wheelie bin headlines that stood out for all the wrong reasons...       

Never anger a refuse collector

An angry refuse collector in China was captured on video surrounding a car with wheelie bins because it was parked in the rubbish collection area. He positioned 40 large green wheelie bins in a square around the wrongly parked car. The refuse collector had tried to contact the driver to no avail before he carried out his act of revenge. The video ended before the driver returned to their car, I’m willing to bet that they wouldn’t have been too happy!

Overflowing wheelie bins cause a rat infestation in Swansea      

A mental health worker who works with the homeless has raised concerns about overflowing rubbish causing a rat infestation in the city centre. Pat Dwan’s job is to do outreach with the homeless people who sleep rough. He said that a lot of his clients sleep in the lanes behind a nightclub, where rubbish is often dumped and bins are overflowing. He claims he saw rats among the rubbish and a decomposed rat too. Homeless people are often blamed for creating the rubbish when in fact, the area appears to be a dumping ground for waste. Swansea Council said it was taking action and was aware of the rat problem.

Hounslow council leader finds his front door blocked by wheelie bins!

The leader of Hounslow Council returned home to find 25-30 people plus dozens of wheelie bins blocking his front door! Angry residents carried out the protest against the introduction of new wheelie bins for terraced properties in Brentford and Chiswick.

Residents argue that the new bins are ugly, that they would spoil the look of the area and were imposed on them without warning. They have petitioned the council, asking for a guarantee that those who refuse the new wheelie bins will continue to have their black sacks of rubbish collected. Petitioners claim that most households in the area only dispose of one small bag of rubbish per week because they recycle, and they don’t need a wheelie bin.

The council leader has insisted, however, that if residents don’t want their wheelie bin, it is up to them to take their waste to the local recycling centre as the council will not be collecting any rubbish left out in black sacks.

Hounslow is not alone in facing protests against the introduction of refuse containers. Blaenau Gwent Council in Wales recently introduced kerbside recycling containers which residents feel blight the area.