Wiltshire Council sent a letter last week to tell the residents of an unadopted section of one road that they would have to drag their wheelie bins up to 100 yards along a potholed road in Trowbridge because the refuse lorry drivers say they won’t drive down it to protect their workers.
The residents of this unadopted section of road, of which the majority are frail pensioners in their seventies and eighties were told by Wiltshire Council last week that they would have to heave their bins to the end of the street because of fears for the health and safety of the binmen, what about the health and safety of these pensioners, doesn’t that matter.
The council added that the potholes could cause damage to vehicle tyres. What the hell are these workers paid for.
Many of the residents said that they would struggle to drag their bins along the unlit, pothole-ridden road, especially on darker winter days, as the street has not even got any lighting.
The angry residents rang the council with furious complaints and have been promised a meeting with the council and bin contractor Focsa.
One former refuse collector said: “I did this job about 17 years ago and this road, even with its potholes, is like a motorway for their vans compared to the conditions they face on the landfill sites. They say the tyres could be damaged, that is ridiculous.
He said “I live near the entrance of the street and even I would have a struggle to get my bin up there with my arthritis. If we do manage to get the bins there, what about the hazard of dozens of bins left in the road? This whole health and safety lark has gone mad.”
The council’s technical officer for waste and recycling told residents in a letter: “The refuse crew in your area have advised me of a health and safety issue when trying to load your bins on to the lifters.
The surface condition of the road is preventing the bins being safely manoeuvred for emptying, putting the operatives at risk. Additionally there is a risk that the potholes could cause damage to the vehicle tyres.”
One resident said: “I’m not very keen to walk up to the top with my bin. It would be very difficult for me, especially in the winter months. It is just not on.”
Her neighbour said: “We just want our bins collected from outside our homes again. It has always been done this way. The population here is elderly and not in the best of health.”
Another said “I think it would be just as great a health and safety risk to leave all the bins at the top of the road as it is to collect them from our houses.
A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “We understand residents’ concerns and are meeting them with a representative from our contractor Focsa to resolve the situation. Focsa is concerned about the safety of their staff and the public, however will continue with the current collection arrangements while the matter is resolved.
It should not take long to resolve it, GET RID of the firm you use and employ some sensible dustmen like we always used to.
It’s about time these councils remembered they are employed by the rate payer, their first interest should be to them.
These binmen are a joke. Where I live if your bin lid is raised because of the amount in there, they won’t take it.
If they find a bin with not a lot in, they take that out and put on the top of another one, even if that overfills it.
Somebody tell me what’s the difference?
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