Wheelie Bins – AGAIN
Posted by westfield on March 17, 2009
This could be your home next month!
WANT THEM OR NOT – YOU’RE GETTING THEM
North Lanarkshire Council has decided that they will be delivering a Blue wheeled bin to every household in Westfield within the next week. Then they will follow this with a Grey bin within a fortnight after.
I have been involved in my local community for over 20 years and I have never, in all my experience, known of any local authority to be so blatant in their disregard and disrespect of the views and opinions of the local community. At Westfield Community Council’s monthly meeting on 11th March 2009, none of the NLC representatives present, Mr Ken Wilson, Mr Hugh Frew or Mr Jim Brown, made any mention of their intention to impose their dictatorial decision to issue wheelie bins on the residents of Westfield. For many years now the residents of Westfield have resisted the issue of these bins, not because we are against recycling but because of two simple reasons:
1. No where to store them as many of the residents do not have gardens.
2. No where to present them as we do not have a kerbside and this results in NLC cleansing operatives abandoning them at their backside when emptied, obstructing the car parks.
Two simple reasons that are within the NLC management capabilities to resolve but they are either unwilling or unable to even attempt. Instead they send representatives to our meetings where they misrepresent the facts, disrespect the chair, insult the residents and embellish the reality to suit their own agenda. Then when challenged they say they will be sending people around the doors to discuss and assess the implications of introducing a wheeled bin service with the residents.
What happened? They came round the doors and told us we would be getting a blue bin within the week. Only when pressed did I elicit further information that the grey bin will follow and that there will be a fortnightly uplift of household waste, Blue bin with recycled waste one week and alternate Grey bin with household waste the next. None of this was mentioned at our meeting.
I don’t know about you but I was brought up to think that there were names for people who say they will do one thing and deliberately mislead you in the full knowledge they have other intentions. And I am saddened to say that North Lanarkshire Council are making every effort to live up to every one of them.
So what next? Write to your Councillors, MSP and North Lanarkshire Council. Let them know what you think and make your points heard.
For details of contact numbers and addresses see Councillors and MSPs tag on this website: http://westfield.wordpress.com
NK said
We’ve contacted the council and they’ve confirmed they’re enforcing this ludicrous change on us.
We are one of the few houses that do have side access and also space to store these 2 bins. However we’ve refused wheelie bins on all previous occasions they’ve been offered despite the fact they would save us our trips to the recycling centre.
Why?
Quite simply the council have been unable to answer 2 simple questions.
Where should we leave the bins and have them returned to? Should it be kerbside where there is insufficient room and close proximity to parked cars and steps/slopes to negotiate or gate side which would make much more sense.
If it’s kerbside will the council be liable for the inevitable damage that will be caused to parked cars as the bins end up strewn over the street until people return from work. We leave home by 8a.m. and don’t return until after 7p.m. – almost 12 hours where our wheelie bin could end up anywhere if left at kerbside.
In addition all 4 of my immediate neighbours have no side access or hidden storage capabilities for 2 wheelie bins. Therefore they will have to be right beside their front doors. The street will become an eyesore.
Wilf said
We are all fighting this. I hate being lied to and I hate even more being treated as if I am stupid. NLC have lied to us, MSPs and Councillors. I know that a few of them are livid.
Mr W Buchanan said
When they came to my door they had a cheek to say to my wife “your face shows surprise, did you not know you were getting a wheelie bin” to which my wife replied “no I did not”. I am not opposed to recycling either but this is going to cause a huge amount of problems. There are a high number of residents who own cars – is the Council going to take responsibility if any of these cars are damaged by all these wheelie bins – I don;t think so somehow. Not to mention a complete eyesore with these bins having to sit outside your front door. Another concern is the people who are not fit enough to haul these bins up to the car park and then have to collect them wherever they are left. We refused before and are still totally against it. What are we paying our rates for? We are going to be more or less doing the Cleansing job ourselves. I also think it could an increase in vandalism. Most of these gardens are open plan and anyone could for instance think it a laugh to set a bin on fire. What is going to happen then? The list against is endless and very worrying.
Wilf said
Hi Mr Buchanan
Like yourself I am disgusted with the behaviour of NLC reps and management. They have lied, bullied and tried to con the people of Westfield and this cannot be acceptable. I have had several discussions with various Councillors and for the most part they are supporting us. Councillor Chadha says he does not want to take sides but from my perspective there are no sides only the liars at NLC and the truth. You would not believe the garbage that these highly paid officials think they will get away with. They couldn’t even count the number of houses that were in each street. There was one street ‘Netherwood Road’ that has 9 houses and they counted 8. I’m sorry even a primary two kid could manage to get that one right. It doesn’t even require all their fingers.
The whole debacle is incredulous and I for one want to see heads roll.
Unhappy Westfield said
As a long standing Westfield resident and NLC employee, I am disappointed in the image that one Council Service can place upon the whole of the Council.
NLC provides many services to a high standard. From child care to the elderly, sport and leisure to housing and education there may be faults and there may be issues, but in the main the services provided are genuinely provided by people who care about their jobs and the effects that they have on the community. Even our bin men and their management teams aim to provide a service. I have sympathy for those members of staff who have been asked to defend this initiative, but cannot hide my disappointment in how this has been implemented. This approach is viewed (understandably) by the public as being ‘the Council’ when in fact it is one Service of the Council.
We are told that a survey took place. when was this? Was this on Saturday when we were visited by staff telling us that the bins were coming or earlier in the week when a leaflet was left through the door. At no time was I told a survey was being conducted. If this was the survey, where was the standard questionnaire to ensure we were all asked the same question? Noone was taking notes -so were the results effectively hearsay? How can this be presented as being “absolute certainty” because the ‘Waste Education Officers’ have spoken to residents. if the people who visited my door were supposed to educate me then I am bemused.
I was told that the EU had banned refuse sacks. This has now been indicated that this is something that should not have been said.
The initial visitor to my door agreed that the area was not suitable for the bins and that the scheme will fail. Unfortunately it only fails where we live. We are the ones that must
live with this.
the second visitor to my home told me that “everyone else has the bins and Westfield is no different”. This is not education, but arrogance.
Our elected members seem to be at sixes and sevens. Some say they know nothing of this. Some are advising we use the official complaints procedure and some are advising that we contact the ombudsman. Is it any wonder that people are confused?
J MacDonald said
hi there
i was delivered my blue bin yesterday – the guy who delivered it said he had chapped my door twice and spoken to someone (he could not say who in my household who he spoke to, and put a DVD through the door – all of this untrue as the time he said he chapped the door we were out at work but did refer to one of my neighbours in a completely un-politically correct manner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) – he then advised that my bins (getting another bin next week apparently )can be kept on the step at my front door – my step isnt big enough for one bin never mind 2 – he also informed me that anyone who doesnt “conform to the project” !!!!! will be fined by the council !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the bins were also video’d being delivered – as the guy was also carrying a video recorder and anyone who loses their bin will have to pay £60 to have it replaced
now we are not totally against having the bins or recyling (we take bags and boxes of re-cycled goods to the re-cycling place on a regular basis and we rarely put out more than one black bag of household rubbish a week) but i am against having rubbish bins at my front door blocking the entrance and being a complete eyesore as well as smelling disgusting in the summer as the front of our house is south facing , i am worried about the amount of bins which are going to have to sit on the road in an already narrow cul de sac with not enough space for residents cars never mind approx 35 bins every tuesday – the nice council man also advised that any damage to cars by the bins “is not their problem” – what we need is for the council to look at the money they are spending on providing these bins – and then to see how much extra it would cost to provide access to the rear of the terraced houses to allow residents to keep their bins safely at the back of their houses or some acceptable area (suggestions welcome)
any one agree or disagree with us ??