Waste piling up after bins not emptied - resident

6 hours ago

Tanya GuptaSouth East

News image — A Margate resident has shared his concerns about missed bin collections affecting his home, the seafront and the town

Kieran Hunt Blue household bins filled beyond capacity with bags and loose waste spilling onto the pavement near the seafront in Margate — A Margate resident has shared his concerns about missed bin collections affecting his home, the seafront and the town

Bin collections in parts of Margate have been missed for up to five weeks, residents have said, amid concerns about public health and a lack of communication from the council.

Kieran Hunt, from Cliftonville West, said refuse, recycling and food collections had been missed, with the town and beach area affected.

He has written to three councillors and said it had been four or five weeks since bins were collected, adding gulls were tearing open bags, the wind was blowing rubbish and streets were "covered in waste".

A Thanet District Counncil (TDC) spokesperson said it had recently introduced changes to collections and had communicated with residents through letters, social media and a dedicated web page.

Hunt said: "People will be coming in the summer, having fish and chips on the beach, and there is rubbish everywhere.

"Residents have no idea what's going on. People keep putting their bins out on the usual day."

Kieran Hunt Mixed rubbish including cardboard, food packaging and bags overflowing onto the ground beside a recycling station in Margate — Residents fear a growing backlog of waste could pose a public health risk

Hunt, from Dane Road, said he checked the council's collection tool, which shows the last entry on 29 April was marked "closed - not done", with the next refuse collection now listed for 13 May.

He added that the council appeared to be "really struggling", adding: "At home, we now have a substantial backlog of waste and it stinks.

"The food waste in particular is becoming a real problem", he said.

Hunt added the council had since replied to his email and offered an emergency collection, adding: "It sounds like they are doing their best."

Kieran Hunt White bin bags piled beside a large black public waste unit on a lit Margate pavement at night, with rubbish stacked against a low wall — Hunt said there had been no clear communication about missed collections

Councillor Steve Albon, TDC's cabinet member responsible for bin collections, said the area now had weekly food waste collections, in line with the rest of the district, while general waste and recycling was collected fortnightly.

He said: "Before the changes came in, we sent a letter and leaflet to every affected household.

"To ensure that all households know about the changes, there's a comprehensive new webpage with a tool where people can check if they're affected.

"We have also posted regularly on our social media pages."

The council recently introduced changes to waste collections across parts of Thanet, including fortnightly general and recycling collections for some households.

Government rules requiring councils to collect certain recyclable waste, including food waste, took effect from 31 March.

Albon added that the new scheme meant about 27,000 more households in Thanet would now receive weekly food waste collections.

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