Residents criticise 'confusing' recycling service

Residents have criticised a Kent local authority's new recycling service and called for "better communication" about collection schedules.

Since Thanet District Council (TDC) introduced changes to the recycling system for thousands of properties in April, residents have been complaining of issues including missed collections.

Liam Wright-Airs, from Margate, told the BBC there was still "a lot of confusion" over when collections were due, while Ramsgate resident Carley Muslun, from Ramsgate, said she had seen bins go uncollected for weeks.

TDC said in recent weeks collections for some residents had been disrupted while it worked through "issues arising from service changes".

Homes in the district have been changed to weekly food waste collections, with mixed recycling and general waste collections alternating each week.

The changes were implemented after government rules required councils to collect certain recyclable waste, including food waste, from 31 March.

Wright-Airs said while he had not experienced problems with his bin collections, he knew people who had.

"I think there's still a lot of confusion on when collections are and what needs separating for recycling," he said.

"The council need to communicate this better as I know people who've had real difficulties."

TDC Green councillor Rebecca Wing said on social media the council's Simpler Recycling service was "poorer" than its previous service.

"Since it was introduced, it has been a disaster," she added.

Muslun said: "I've seen bins go uncollected for weeks, then ripped open by seagulls and foxes, leaving rubbish across the road.

"Even food waste could not be separated properly because it had not been collected."

Ramsgate residents Jean Mancini, Sharon and Steve Morrice said they have had "differing experiences" with bin collection.

Mancini, who lives on West Cliff, said: "I haven't had my black bins collected for three weeks.

"The food bin has gone each week but the others are unpredictable. Thanet District Council needs to sort it out."

Steve, who lives in Newington, added: "We've had no problems apart from one collection being missed but they came back a few days later.

"I'm all for recycling but it can be very complex and I wonder whether it all needs to be separated."

TDC said its new Simpler Recycling collections - which affect 27,000 households - had already seen a 31% increase in food recycling and a 5% rise in mixed recycling.

A spokesperson said: "In recent weeks, our collections have been disrupted for some residents while we continue to work through the issues arising from the service changes. This was exacerbated at the end of last week by the extreme heat.

"We are working hard to get the service back on track and are putting in extra resources."

The council said a detailed report about the current service issues would be discussed at the Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting on 14 July and published in advance of the meeting.

It added: "In the meantime, our priority is to address the situation on the ground and ensure we provide the service residents expect as quickly as possible in cases where it has recently fallen short."

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