Town halls were poised to scrap fortnightly bin collections after the heatwave sparked a massive surge in maggots and flies. As temperatures around the country soared, several councils said they were considering a return to weekly collections amid a flood of complaints.
Epping Forest District Council ditched alternate collections in May and Gedling Borough Council in Nottingham followed suit on Monday. Other councils are now re-examining their policies. Councils are considering a return to weekly bin collections as soaring temperatures make the rubbish a health hazard
Councils are considering a return to weekly bin collections as soaring temperatures make the rubbish a health hazard. Among them is Hertsmere Borough Council in Hertfordshire, which has pledged a return to weekly pick-ups if temperatures reach 30c (86f) on five consecutive days.
As the nation's heatwave warning was raised to its second highest level - amber - environmentalist Doretta Cocks said that fortnightly bin collections made 'a nonsense of public health measures'.
She added: 'We had a heatwave in 2003, 2006 and now in 2009 - and they are going to become more frequent because of climate change. 'This problem isn't going to go away, it's going to get worse. The current policy of alternate week collections makes no sense whatsoever.'
As highlighted by the Daily Mail's Great Bin Revolt campaign, anger has been growing over the number of councils switching to fortnightly collections.
The stench of uncollected bins was just one of the many problems facing Britain on yet another sweltering day, with temperatures reaching 31c (88f) in places.
Looks like there are DEFINITELY a lot more people complaining about maggots in their bins.
ReplyDeleteSealing them could help, but I like the whole "weekly food refuse collection" option.