On 18th June, Senedd member for the Vale of Clwyd, Gareth Davies, raised the ongoing issue of missed waste collections across Denbighshire following the introduction of the ill-fated Trolibocs bin system.
The Trefynydd, Jane Hutt, responded with apparent outrage at Gareth bringing the issue to the Senedd floor on multiple occasions and insisted the scheme must be given time to fully bed-in, and that current issues are simply 'teething issues'. Her full response can be viewed in the video linked to this article.
Raising the issue in the Business Statement, Gareth said:
I would like to call for a statement, again, from the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning on the waste collection chaos in Denbighshire which is a result of a Welsh Government funded scheme.
We are three weeks into the Trolibocs bin system rollout and my inbox is full of constituent’s emails, who are in dismay about the chaos that has been caused by Denbighshire County Council’s inability to introduce the new bin system and ensure that all collections are made.
As a result, countless people are contacting me about repeat missed collections, and this is now becoming a serious potential risk to public health... with waste piling up outside... pavements and highways are becoming a magnet for seagulls and rodents like something reminiscent of the late 1970’s.
We shouldn’t have to put up with this... especially when the new bins are likely to discourage recycling, contrary to their purported goals.
The Trolibocs scheme was introduced by Denbighshire County Council despite public opposition, due to a handsome investment by the Welsh Government.
So could the Welsh Government outline whether they will re-assess the scheme in light of the myriad of issues it has brought to people’s doors... and have a discussion with Denbighshire County Council about the best way to move forward, with the scheme’s abandonment left on the table?
Gareth has also contacted Tony Ward, the Corporate Director at Denbighshire County Council requesting an urgent update from the department, asking what their strategy is to tackling these problems, and what the specific reasons are for waste not being collected. He also conveyed the disappointment that many residents have expressed regarding poor communication with the council.
In response, the Corporate Director at Denbighshire County Council has acknowledged the current issues, and expressed his apologies to residents for the inconvenience. He has assured me that they are working quickly to employ more Waste Collection Operatives and they have put the following temporary measures in place:
- Additional vehicles and staff, so more crews are out each day.
- Extra shifts are being put in place so crews can stay out longer.
- Crews will be out on Saturdays focussing on key areas which have been missed.
- Staff from other services of the Council are being redeployed to help with tasks to support the front-line collection crews.
In the meantime, if the council have missed a collection, please report it by clicking here.
