Speaking to letsrecycle.com yesterday, South Kesteven district council said a wheeled bin cleaning company touting for business had distributed “inflammatory” leaflets claiming that the bins were breeding “dangerous” bacteria.
Other scare-tactics, such as warning residents of a 20,000 fine if they cleaned their bins out using the wrong drain, were leading to “numerous” residents contacting the council in alarm.
South Kesteven, which is currently in the second phase of moving to alternate weekly collections using black and silver wheeled bins (see letsrecycle.com story), said that officers were now being forced to make home visits to reassure the public.
Dawn Temple, waste policy officer at the council, said: “We have had to redirect our resources at a time when we are stretched anyway. The leaflets claim that unclean bins breed bacteria and salmonella are distressing elderly residents in particular.
“If residents use them as we say they won't create any of those problems,” she added.
According to the council, the cleaning company admitted that the leaflet was designed to make people afraid of not cleaning their bins or cleaning them themselves.
“Tarred”
However, other bin cleaning companies in the district have rejected claims that their leaflets are misleading and accused South Kesteven of tarring all businesses with the same brush.
Kate Temperton, who runs The Wheelie Clean Karte in Grantham with her partner Karl Davies, said: “The council were saying we were trying to scare people when we were just offering a service. We're trying to build up a business with a one-man band and the council announcement is bad for business.”
Ms Temperton added: “All our leaflets say is that bins can create offensive smells and harmful germs, which is true.”
South Kesteven council advised said that recycling bins would not need cleaning as they were designed for dry material. Meanwhile, officers suggested that residents use bin bags to protect their residual bins and instructed them to clean them out using the foul rather than the surface drain to avoid a possible fine.
Ms Temple said: “We have asked the company in question to stop scaring the public but they were reluctant to discuss it. We have received fewer phone calls recently but unfortunately expect them to pick up again as soon as we begin the next stage of the roll-out.”
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Ms Temple's comments follow a letter written by local environment minister Ben Bradshaw to MPs recently citing independent research into the health impact of alternate weekly collections (AWCs).
Mr Bradshaw wrote: “Research found no evidence of health impacts from AWCs. Properly designed and implemented they should not cause problems of odour or other nuisance”.
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