Council Gets Tough On Extra Green Bin Charge Evaders

Above: Green waste wheelie bins are emptied in
West Lindsey, each extra bin costs £27.90 per annum.

Residents throughout West Lindsey who are using more than one green garden waste bin could soon be facing an additional bill.

When the council's popular Triple Bin refuse collection system was introduced almost two years ago everyone in the district became entitled to have one green bin emptied for free. Additional bins could be provided but there would be a charge. But now the Council has been alerted to the fact that some properties are leaving out more than one green bin for collection even though no payment has been made for additional bins.

Waste Services Manager, Mr. Glyn Pilkington, said:

"Letters are going out to residents explaining that additional bins have to be paid for at the current charge of £27.90 a year or the bin will have to be returned to us.

"We appreciate that some householders may have been getting the service unknowingly. For example there may have been two green bins at the property when new occupiers moved in or an extra bin may even have been delivered to the property when we rolled out the Triple Bin collection scheme.

"The reason for the extra bin being there is really not the point. What we are trying to do is make sure that we are fair to everyone who is paying for an extra bin and to do this we are asking for a payment from everyone who has more than one bin or the bin will have to be returned to us."

The letter to residents tells householders that if they want to continue using the extra bin they should ring the Council's Customer Service Team on (01427) 676676 to arrange for a payment to be made.

If the Council does not get any response to its letters it will assume that people want to keep the extra bin and an invoice will be sent out. Mr Pilkington added:

"People who want to return the additional green should also ring the Customer Service Team and we will arrange free collection."

The Rasens Recycling Centre Marches to Opening

A new facility will soon be opening its gates in Market Rasen. Construction commenced in May 2010 and will open on Friday 4th March 2011.

The site will be open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays. The site is closed at all other times, including Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The Rasens will provide a user friendly site for residents to bring their household waste. The Household Waste Recycling Centre will be able to receive approximately 30-35 types of waste to maximise recycling and minimise landfill tonnages. The types of waste it can receive and redirect for recycling include:

• Green waste (grass cuttings/ hedge clippings, etc)
• Waste engine oil
• Cooking oil
• Car Batteries
• Small batteries
• Fridges and Freezers
• Electrical Appliances
• Wood (MDF/ Laminate etc)
• Rigid Plastics
• Cardboard and paper

Councillor Gets Dirty

Donning safety boots, hi-vis jacket and gloves Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway, Conservative (Saxilby Ward), spent a day working side by side colleagues in the waste services team.

The West Lindsey District Councillor, who is chairman of the Community and Waste Services Committee, was surprised with her findings. She said:

"This job requires more skills than one might at first expect and I learned a great deal."



Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway having
a go at wheelie bin collections.

Cllr. Mrs. Brockway used a day of her summer holiday to do a shift as a refuse collector on one of the council's refuse freighters. She said: 

"I was surprised by the speed and fluidity with which they do their jobs and I found myself having to run to keep up at first, before getting into a routine.

"They showed me how to inspect the rubbish and to get the bins onto the lifting machinery which then tipped it into the back of the wagon.

"This was far from easy and it took me a few attempts before I got the hang of things.

"My new colleagues were extremely patient with me, even when I failed to get one bin to catch on the lift and the contents fell out onto the road."

Cllr. Mrs. Brockway said she was impressed with how the driver manoeuvred the twenty-six tonne lorry smoothly through some incredibly narrow and difficult traffic situations.

Staff worked with accuracy, managing to remember where every bin came from and Cllr Brockway watched them handling residents' queries with care and diplomacy.

Cllr. Mrs. Brockway added:

"This is not a job for the unfit and there is no slow point in the day when the men can simply stop and take a rest (apart from a short lunch break).



"They're on the go the whole time and they have to be very aware of hygiene, road safety and the needs of residents.

"I was appalled by the way car drivers pushed past the refuse wagon, often at speed, with no care for the safety of the refuse collectors.

 "I'm really grateful to the team for giving me the benefit of their time and experience."

The day was arranged by Operational Service Manager, Mr. Glyn Pilkington and Team Leader Mr. Andy Selby to work with a team of three experienced operatives.

Mr Pilkington said:

"I am really pleased that Cllr Brockway wanted to have a go.

"Refuse and recycling is one service that directly impacts on all residents and therefore it is important that councillors fully understand the difficulties of the service and the need to make it as simple as possible for residents to recycle".

West Lindsey Committee Appointments Made

Following West Lindsey District Council's Annual Council Meeting on Monday evening the committee appointments have been made for the comming year.

Chairman of West Lindsey District Council

Cllr. Owen Bierley, Conservative (Yarborough Ward)

Vice-Chairman of West Lindsey District Council

Cllr. William Parry, Conservative (Scottor Ward)

Leader of West Lindsey District Council

Cllr. Burt Keimach, Conservative (Market Rasen Ward) - Leader of the Conservative Group

Deputy Leader of West Lindsey District Council

Cllr. Mrs. Irmgard Parrott, Conservative (Chery Willingham) - Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group

Leader & Deputy Leader of the Opposition*

Cllr. Reg Shore, Liberal Democrat (Stow Ward) - Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group
Cllr. David Cotton, Liberal Democrat (Saxilby Ward) - Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group

Planning Committee

Chairman
Cllr. Chirs Underwood Frost, Conservative (Scottor Ward) -

Vice-Chairman
Cllr. Stuart Curtis, Conservative (Sudbrooke Ward) -

Members
Cllr. Owen Bierley, Conservative (Yarborough Ward)
Cllr. Alan Caine, Independent (Caistor Ward)
Cllr. Ian Fleetwood, Conservative (Bardney Ward)
Cllr. Alf Frith, Liberal Democrat (Nettleham Ward)
Cllr. Malcolm Leaning, Liberal Democrat (Nettleham Ward)
Cllr. Mrs. Judy Rainsforth, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough South West)
Cllr. Lewis Strange, Conservative (Kelsey Ward)

Community and Waste Services Committee

Chairman
Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway, Conservative (Saxilby Ward)

Vice-Chairman
Cllr. Geoff Wiseman, Conservative (Middle Rasen)

Members
Cllr. Owen Bierley, Conservative (Yarborough Ward)
Cllr. David Cotton, Liberal Democrat (Saxilby Ward)
Cllr. Stuart Kinch, Conservative (Torksey Ward)
Cllr. Angela Lawrence, Conservative (Caistor Ward)
Cllr. Mrs. Jessie Milne, Conservative (Lea Ward)
Cllr. Mrs. Judy Rainsforth, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough South West)
Cllr. Mrs. Lesley Rollings, Liberal Democrat (Thonock Ward)
Cllr. Mrs. Heather Shore, Liberal Democrat (Scampton Ward)

Organisation and Resources Committee

Chairman
Cllr. Mrs. Meg Davidson, Conservative (Fiskerton Ward)

Vice-Chairman
Cllr. Mrs. Anne Welburn, Conservative (Cherry Willingham Ward)

Members
Cllr. K. Bridger, Liberal Democrat (Market Rasen Ward)
Cllr. Mrs. Jackie Brockway, Conservative (Saxilby)
Cllr. Tom Brown, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough North)
Cllr. David Cotton, Liberal Democrat (Saxilby Ward)
Cllr. Burt Kiemach, Conservative (Market Rasen Ward)
Cllr. Reg Shore, Liberal Democrat (Stow Ward)
Cllr. Jeff Summers, Conservative (Waddingham & Spital Ward)

Performance Management & Scrutiny Committee

Chairman
Cllr. Mike Tinker, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough East)

Vice Chairman
Cllr. Stuart Kinch, Conservative (Torksey Ward)

Members
Cllr. David Cotton, Liberal Democrat (Saxilby Ward)
Cllr. Mrs. Irmgard Parrott, Conservative (Cherry Willingham Ward)
Cllr. William Parry, Conservative (Scottor Ward)
Cllr. Tom Regis, Conservative (Wold View Ward)
Cllr. Mrs. Diana Rodgers, Conservative (Welton Ward)
Cllr. Kristan Smith, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough East)
Cllr. Mel Starkey, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough East)
Cllr. Mrs. Anne Welburn, Conservative (Cherry Willingham Ward)

Economic Development and Regeneration Committee

Chairman
Cllr. Jeff Summers, Conservative (Waddingham & Spital)

Vice Chairman
Cllr. Mrs. Diana Rodgers, Conservative (Welton Ward)

Members
Cllr. Paul Howitt-Cowan, Conservative (Hemswell)
Cllr. Mrs. Jessie Milne, Conservative (Lea Ward)
Cllr. Malcolm Parish, Conservative (Welton Ward)
Cllr. William Parry, Conservative (Scottor Ward)
Cllr. Mrs. Lesley Rollings, Liberal Democrat (Thonock Ward) Cllr. Mel Starkey, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough East)
Cllr. Mike Tinker, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough East)
Cllr. Trevor Young, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough South West)

Audit Committee

Chairman
Cllr. Mrs. S. Rawlins, Conservative (Dunholme Ward)

Vice-Chairman
Cllr. Mrs. G. Bardsley, Conservative (Gainsborough North Ward)

Members
Cllr. Ken Bridger, Liberal Democrat (Market Rasen Ward)
Cllr. Mrs. Meg Davidson, Conservative (Fiskerton Ward)
Cllr. Paul Howitt-Cowan, Conservative (Hemswell Ward)
Cllr. Burt Kiemach, Conservative (Market Rasen Ward)
Cllr. Pat O'Connor, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough North Ward)
Cllr. Kristan Smith, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough East Ward)
Cllr. Mike Tinker, Liberal Democrat (Gainsborough East Ward)
Cllr. Chris Underwood Frost, Conservative (Scotter Ward)

*Not a Council confirmed appointment.

Fly-tipped Waste Collected in West Lindsey in Just One Day

The stunning amount of rubbish above - five whole truck loads full and an assortment of doors and other flytipping debris - was collected in West Lindsey in just one day.

This has nothing to do with household wheelie bin waste; this is rubbish mainly collected from road verges and from the highways and byways of the four hundred and fifty square miles that make up our district.

It costs £832,730 a year or £2,281 a day to keep West Lindsey clean and tidy and quite a slice of that cash could be saved if people disposed of their rubbish properly.

The waste in this photograph is typical of the volume collected each day and Chairman of the Community and Waste Committee, Cllr. Mrs. Irmgard Parrott, Conservative (Cherry Willingham Ward) said:

"Our staff do a wonderful job keeping the district looking smart by not only collecting litter and clearing away fly-tipping but by emptying bins that have been used by people who have disposed of their litter responsibly.

"I urge everyone to put their litter in a bin, or better still if it is recyclable, take it home and put into a blue bin so it can be recycled into something else."

Triple Bin Success For Recycling Rates

West Lindsey District Council's recycling rate has shot up to over 50% since the introduction of the new triple bin collections and the council claims the dramatic success is all down to the way residents have embraced the scheme.

The council introduced a district-wide free green waste collection service and alternate weekly collections of refuse and recycling in September last year following a successful pilot scheme in Caistor, Keelby and Cherry Willingham.

Since then not only has amount of recycling increased by almost 25% compared to the same period last year, but landfill is down too. In the period from September to February the Council sent 7,076 tonnes of material to landfill - 1,916 tonnes less than that sent the year before. That's the equivalent weight of ten jumbo jets that have been saved from landfill in just five months!

The council now hopes to see its recycling rate improve even further as residents adapt to the new scheme.

Chairman of the Community and Waste Committee, Cllr. Mrs. Irmgard Parrott, Conservative (Cherry Willingham) said:

"While these are early figures, it is certainly encouraging to see that recycling has gone up significantly after only a few months of the changes being introduced. Hopefully as the scheme beds in and residents use their green bins throughout the summer for the first time, these figures will show an even bigger increase.

"It is vital that as many people as possible recycle garden waste because if it finds its way into a landfill site it becomes a major source of methane which is a damaging greenhouse gas."

West Lindsey's recycling spokesman Mr. Steve Leary said that the Council had achieved the dramatic increase by working with residents.

"We do understand that this was a major change for everyone and that change can sometimes bring about concerns. That's why we had a dedicated team of recycling advisors visiting homes throughout the district hopefully explaining all that you need to know about the new way of doing things.

"I'd like to personally thank residents for their recycling efforts so far. Together we have now achieved a recycling rate of more than 50%. It really is so important that we continue to safeguard resources and avoid government fines by diverting more waste away from landfill."

West Lindsey's Refuse and Recycling Collections Return to Normal

West Lindsey District Council have been pleased to announce that all properties which had been unable to be collected from recently, due to the snow and icy conditions, have now had their bins emptied.
Extra crews were out last week to collect bins which the council were unable to empty the previous week.
Iif you do have any problems regarding your collections, please contact a member of West Lindsey District Council's Customer Services staff on 01427 676676.

West Lindey District Council Refuse and Recycling Collections Update

All areas the council were not able to get to on Wednesday were picked up yesterday with the exception of two properties near Legsby which remain inaccessible. Areas outstanding from Thursday, in the Lincoln Fringe, are as follows:

Black Bins

Nettleham

• Ash Tree Avenue
• Riverdale
• Jubilee Court
• Orchard Way
• Brookfield Avenue
• Crescent Close
• The Croft

Burton (All the village)
North Carlton (All the village)
South Carlton (All the village)
Apley (All the village)

Blue Bins

Burton

• Main St (From S-Bend to top of hill)

North Carlton (All the village)

Stainfield (All the village)

Apley (All the village)

New Apley (All the village)

Low Apley (All the village)

The council expect to collect all these properties plus all Fridays work by the end of work today. If they do not meet this target any outstanding work will be collected on Saturday.
 
In a statement on the Council website they say:

"Once again we are sorry for any inconvenience caused and rest assured every effort is being made to rectify the situation. 

"As we are prioritising on catching up on refuse and recycling this week, we are unable to collect garden waste this week."

Bin Catch-Up Plan for West Lindsey

West Lindsey District Council has announced plans to catch up all waste collections missed during the severe weather last week.


Starting tomorrow (Tuesday, 12 January 2010) residents are being urged to put out both their blue and black bins on their normal collection day and both bins will be emptied.

Operational Services Manager Glyn Pilkington said:

"There will be no green waste collections as we will be utilising staff to catch up blue and black collections which should be complete by the end of Friday.

"It may be that we will have difficulty getting to some isolated properties which we will clear as soon as we can, but the vast majority of homes will get double collections this week which will clear the backlog."

West Lindsey Outline Catching Up With Waste Collections

West Lindsey District Council has today confirmed that the improving weather situaion, as a result of a slight thaw, means that today the black bin and bin blue will be collected as per their normal rounds.

West Lindsey District Council anticipate that there will be areas where due to remoteness or having steep hills and so on the drivers may deem it unsafe to collect and the crews have been asked to make a note of these so that we can collect later in the week.
The garden waste (green bin) crews will be used today to assist the other crews and to deal with some of the backlog from last week. The council report that should the weather and the conditions of the roads continue to improve, arrangements will be made to organise catch up collections.
The Council are prioritising on catching up with black bin and blue bin collections over the next week, so there will be no green bin collections during the week commencing Monday, 11th January 2010.
As the forecast is still not certain and further snow showers, some potentially heavy, are predicted across the East Midlands. The Council are asking that those residents who have had missed collection should leave their bins in an accessible but safe position and the council's crews will collect as soon as possible.

Waste Collection Proceed With Caution

Update to 'Snow Hits Wast Collections in West Lindsey'.

Main roads in West Lindsey are passable with care (8 January 2010) and West Lindsey District Council is attempting a restricted refuse collection service.

Blue recycling bins are being emptied in Sudbrooke, Langworth and Dunholme and black bin collections are being done in Welton and Saxilby. Bag collections are also being made in the South West Ward of Gainsborough.

Operational Services Manager, Mr. Glyn Pilkington, said:

"In all probability the collections will be restricted to main roads and it is
unlikely we will be able to get into minor roads. Refuse drivers have been
advised to use their judgement and to only collect if they can do so
safely.

"For residents who live in the properties we cannot get to our
message is to leave bins in a safe and accessible place and will get to them as
soon as we are able."

Snow Hits Waste Collections in West Lindsey

Snow and ice has caused the postponement of waste and recycling collections (including bulky waste collections) across West Lindsey today, including Nettleham.

Recycling and Refuse bins will not be emptied today and residents will have their waste collected on their next scheduled collection day, however, we will collect extra waste on this day. Anyone who needs refuse or recycling sacks to store their waste in should contact Customer Services on (01427) 676676.

The extreme weather has disrupted collections in many local authorities across the Country, and with more icy conditions forecast it raises the prospect of further disruption.

West Lindsey District Council explained that it had temporarily suspended all waste collections because the snow and ice has made it too dangerous for its lorries to operate. The Council said that with temperatures predicted to remain below freezing and more snow forecast over the next few days it would resume waste collections after the thaw.

Waste Services Manager Glyn Pilkington explained the decision to cancel collections for today:

"The levels of snow and ice on untreated road surfaces around the District made it unwise to operate heavy machinery in these areas, or for teams to be lifting and carrying heavy waste long distances over slippery surfaces."

While noting that the Council would resume collections 'as soon as possible', he told residents that the safety of members of the public and collection crews was his highest priority and no risks would be taken

The Council advised residents expecting a collection this week to check the web-site for up-to-date information, but pleaded for patience if collections are affected.

New campaign to seek out UFOs

New research into freezer use from Love Food Hate Waste in our homes, reveals a third of us find food in the freezer we had forgotten about or can't identify.

‘Unidentified Frozen Objects’ in our freezer are estimated to be worth £860m, but doubts about freezing a wider variety of foods, and a belief that freezing is only for long-term storage, means that we are taking the freezer for granted.

Food that is thrown away which could have been frozen adds to the food waste problem.

In the run up to Christmas when the freezer comes into its own, West Lindsey’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign is calling on us all to find out what's inside our freezers. By making meals from what is already there we can save money, postpone our regular shop and make room for new festive foods, homemade meals and those inevitable leftovers.

Cllr. Irmgard Parrott, Conservative (Cherry Willingham Ward), Chairman of the Community and Waste Committee of West Lindsey District Council, is calling householders across the district to join the ‘Freezer Expedition’ at lovefoodhatewaste.com this weekend in preparation for the festive season.

West Lindsey Love Food Hate Waste spokesperson, Elaine Bilton, explains:

“The Freezer Expedition is a journey into the unknown for some of us. Our new
findings show that most of us would never freeze traditional Christmas foods if
we've over catered, even though freezing means we can choose to eat them later.
So West Lindsey's Love Food Hate Waste campaign is giving myth busting advice on
what we can freeze - and it's practically everything.”

Christmas cake, leftover turkey, potatoes and any extra stilton can all be frozen for another time.

Based on 2008 figures, households are about to spend more than £520m on Christmas dinner alone this year. So, starting the season with more room to freeze our Christmas foods and leftovers should help us all save money and reduce our food waste.

You can watch TV personality Sue Perkins at lovefoodhatewaste.com taking part in her own ‘Freezer Expedition’ and discovering practical tips as she goes. Sue says:

“The freezer is just like a ‘pause’ button to help save foods – it’s no longer a
dark, distant place to me.”

The website also features a new range of freezable family meals to make at home, many of which can be cooked straight from frozen for convenience over the holidays.
Top freezer tips from Love Food Hate Waste:

1. Food can be frozen at any point up to the end of the ‘use by’ date
2. If you defrost raw meat and then cook it thoroughly, you can freeze it again. Just take care to defrost thoroughly and re-heat until piping hot
3. Freezing fresh foods and home-cooked meals is a great way to save food for later, sealing in the goodness until you are ready to eat it - freeze in portions or ‘meals’
4. Almost any food (including hard cheese, milk, mashed potato, bread, homemade meals and cakes) can be frozen - check the website for more information
5. Cooked food should be cooled before transferring into the freezer
6. It is safe to defrost food at room temperature, provided you intend to eat it as soon as it's thawed. Or defrost in the fridge overnight and plan to eat within 2 days
7. Labelling and dating foods before you put them in the freezer will help avoid 'UFOs' in the future
8. You can prepare ahead for Christmas by parboiling your potatoes and freezing them
9. If you're going away this Christmas don't forget you can freeze any unused milk before you go
10. If you're struggling to get your portions right why not go to lovefoodhatewaste.com and use our portion calculator to find out exactly how much you need to cook Christmas dinner