A selection from many posts on Next Door
After seeing many posts like those above, as well as Tweets and Facebook posts I wrote to Brent Council:
Social media is awash with complaints about blue bins being rejected, petitions and protest meetings. Someone said Veolia workers were fed-up with the system and deliberately rejecting some bins as a protest.
Is there any message that the Council would like published re what appear to be teething problems?
Brent Council's response:
Councillor Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure, and Climate Action, said:
Whilst it is too early to know the full picture of how the changes have affected recycling rates, our trial of over 5,000 properties last year showed an increase in recycling, which is better for the environment and our planet.
We have also seen a 50% increase in the last fortnight in the amount of cardboard and paper recycling compared to the first two weeks of October, showing that compliance is increasing as residents get used to the changes to how their recycling is collected.
Veolia fully supports the service changes and their staff are trained to reject bins that have incorrect items in them, we do this so that recycling doesn't get rejected as this would be worse for the environment.
Thank you to all residents who are separating their paper and cardboard. More information is available on the council's website, where you can also order a replacement blue sack.
11 comments:
Councillor Krupa Sheth needs to stop with these comments about the trial. I was a resident part of the trial. It was a shambles. Every neighbour I know complained. Everyone of these councilors needs to know we are going to vote every single one them unemployed at the next local elections.
You can't go and spend our money, leave a hole of over 12m and not spend the money on the basics of what council tax payers pay for. This is corruption and negligence all the way from the mayor Butt down.
Barham park development.
Blue bags
Black hole in the budget.
Unforgivable. Don't ever vote for them
We've seen full blue sacks dragged across the filthy pavements and road, emptied and then thrown back onto people's driveways.
They will soon be filthy and will sure fall apart.
Labour run Brent Council gave £17.8million of our NCIL money, which should have been spent on local community projects, to multi billion pound developers Quintain for the vanity project steps outside Wembley Stadium - totally against the true Labour principles of helping people and levelling up society - shows their poor judgement.
They should be quoted out for that decision alone!
Absolutely Cllr Krupa, embracing the right recycling practices isn't rocket science. It's about our responsibility to the environment. I've seen too many complaints, but the core here is simple: adhere to the guidelines. The council's aiming for better recycling rates, which isn't just good for Brent but for our planet. I appreciate the council's clarification and support of these changes. It's not just about compliance; it's a step towards sustainability. It's mind-boggling that some can't manage the basic task of tossing cardboard into a sack. I mean, come on! It's not that complex. We're talking about a fundamental act for the planet's sake. We should be way past this stage. The council's making strides, and it's a shame some are lagging behind. Let's get it together, folks, and just do the right thing for the environment, just as our Labour councillors are giving us the opportunity to do. Well done to Cllr Butt and team. Number 1 borough but still trying harder.
Is the same Brent Councillor in charge of the Blue Bag Disaster the same one as the Parking RinGone Disaster? Utter incompetence in both cases, total disregard for resident views in both cases and condescending responses in both cases. In any other walk of life they'd have resigned by now.
Us responsible and fully informed residents are NOT against proper recycling we want to encourage it, it’s the stupid blue sack which is the issue…
- it’s flimsy and already falling apart;
- where do you store it to keep the paper and cardboard dry, the lid doesn’t close properly and the Velcro seal is poor quality, so if there’s heavy rain and the paper and card get wet it cannot be recycled anyway as the fibres get damaged;
- in high winds the sack it gets blown down the street.
Need we say more?
If the Brent Council spent more money stopping fly tipping loads more could be recycled - currently all of this dumped rubbish just goes to landfill!!!
Anon 10 November 2023 at 09:32
You really think Cllr. Butt's team are doing the right things? Well more fool you. Fiddling about round the edges isn't making any real difference to Brent other than annoying residents, especially when you ignore and disregard their genuine annoyances. I could give you a list of areas where Cllr. Butt and his team of nobodies have made things worse in Brent and for its residents in so very many areas including the environment. As tempting as it is to list all Cllr. Butt's team's failings I just haven't got a week to list them all for you.
I am sure that I am not the only Councillor receiving lots of complaints about the new blue bag service:
* Blue bins not collected because there is a residue of a small piece of paper inside
* Blue Bag too heavy for elderly residents to move when full.
* Operatives throwing the bag on drive after emptying.
* Bag blown away, stolen, returned to the wrong property and already falling apart
* bag too small to take all the carboard
* Lid not closing - cardboard/paper getting wet - making bag even heavier
etc etc etc
The Lib Dem Group anticipated these problems and we brought the issue to Scrutiny before the new system was pushed through. Most Councillors on Scrutiny (irrespective of Party) agreed that the bags would create problems.
We proposed giving the residents an option of another recycling bin. For some the existing blue top bin could be designated for bulky cardboard with smaller bin being provided to take the residue of glass bottles, plastic and cans.
Scrutiny recommended a 2nd bin option to be offered to residents BUT in their typical NON-listening mode Cllr Butt, Sheth and the rest of the Labour Cabinet ignored the warnings and refused to support the idea.
Most residents will support recycling if it is properly explained to them, it is simple to do and does not create problems for them.
They will however be turned off recycling by an arrogant Council who refuses to listen and continues to behave in their usual arrogant "we know best" way.
There is no point on Councillor Sheth burying her head in the sand and refusing to acknowledge obvious problems and justified residents concerns.
There is a problem and action is now needed to take action to fix it.
No one has taken into account of all the random people just passing by puts in the recycling bins. Unseen by the resident owners of the bin.
i.e Street Drinkers who put their cans when empty back into the plastic bag they were given when bought the alcohol and drop it into the nearest Blue Bin, cause we don't like it when they leave it on the street!
Same goes for people who eat Takeaways in their car, get out and deposit in the nearest Blue Bin, again we would not want them to drop it on the street, now would we.
Is it now Residents responsibility to sort this out?
Why can't Veolia sort this out at their depot, after all they are being paid to do the job!
Bearing in mind that Street Cleaning has been dramatically reduced in some areas.
Is Bent the only Council doing this? To the best of knowledge all other councils bordering Bent have continued with mixed recycling.
B~ent and pathetic
Veolia own massive incinerator plants generating power for thousands of properties - we are not convinced they recycle anything as they need to burn rubbish to keep these incinerators going 😩
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