Wheelie Bin Roundup 9th October

Wheelie Bin News Roundup 9^th October

We are all used to different coloured bins for different types of waste, but they aren’t suitable for everyone, like people with visual impairment.

Waste management company Veolia have stepped in to help 2 visually impaired women in Sutton, by drilling holes in the different bins, so they could tell which bins were which.

The women, who are sisters, contacted Veolia earlier this year to voice their concerns about the introduction of new waste bins and they were worried that they would not be able to identify the correct bin for recycling and the bin for general waste.

Recycling advisors from Veolia visited the sisters, and drilled a different number of holes in each bin to make identification easier.

The company have since visited the sisters to check that the solution was working for them, and they are very happy with what Veolia have done. They are so happy in fact, that they have shared their experience with the Talking Newspaper for the visually impaired. They urge anyone who is struggling with the same problem to contact their local council.

Tyne and Wear Fire Service has urged residents to keep an eye on their wheelie bins after a spate of rubbish fires in Sunderland. 23 fires have been started on local playing fields since the start of August, and most of the fires were piles of rubbish that had been set alight. 9 of the fires were wheelie bins.

The fire service says they are hugely concerned about the fires, not only because of the money it costs taxpayers to call fire engines out, but also because of the dangers the fires pose to people and property.

They have asked residents to make sure their bin isn’t left out overnight, as this can make it a target for vandals who will steal or set fire it. They also added that attending these deliberately started fires takes them away from emergency calls elsewhere.

A couple in Edinburgh who are angry at cuts to waste collection services have come up with their own solution; they have started their own rubbish collection service.

The couple started their own business Bare Bins after they got sick of their bins overflowing due to reduced collections. They offer extra collections across Edinburgh and the Lothians, and there are several collection options, priced from £14.25 for a single collection, to £289.17 for a year’s worth of collections.

The husband and wife team who have a 2-year-old son, say that their bin was always overflowing, and the final straw was when they spotted a rat scurrying behind the bin.

They had the idea for the business and spoke to other residents who agreed that their current wheelie bin was not adequate for their waste, especially after collections were reduced to fortnightly.

The couple have put everything they have into the business, which collects household waste and takes it to a recycling centre. Collections can be booked on a one-off, monthly, six-monthly, or annual basis. They said that residents have told them how disgruntled they are that council tax continues to rise yet their services continue to be cut, but they do appreciate that councils have tight budgets, and that’s why they spotted a gap in the market for this service.