Following the recent introduction of food waste collections by Wandsworth Council, there have been a considerable number of complaints from residents who have had their food waste, and/or their regular waste, collections missed for weeks at a time.
It is clear that residents are extremely frustrated, as well as there being a potential health and safety issue. Complaints from residents have been expressed on local social media over recent weeks:
“This new waste collection system is a disaster and a complete waste of taxpayers’ money! To have 3 separate vehicles, 3 lots of different refuse collectors, 3 lots of different people coming loudly in the garden, throwing the bin lid on the floor each time and rubbish is still left!”
“Our rubbish hasn’t been collected for 6 weeks.”
“This new system is not working. Two weeks running they have missed my bins!! When they do come, they don’t bother to take all of the bags!!!”
“Grim! [After] Five weeks of food rubbish in Wandsworth, this is one of the flyridden caddies in our road. People are using them properly and they’re just not being picked up, even if the council has been told.”
“The rubbish wasn’t collected either, so I reported online & it still wasn’t collected!! Last week also my recycling wasn’t collected.”
“At least 5 weeks of rotten food uncollected.”
“Recycling ignored all around us and some left piled outside our gate! All since they chose to change the system and not collect both at the same time. Not using food bins as not prepared to clean out maggots again!!”
“Only 6 out of 16 [houses on the road] are using [the caddies] and all 6 are nibbled, and some have a quarter of the lid missing.”
“Have reported it twice. Not going to bother anymore. It can all go in the bin.”
Wandsworth Conservatives have slammed the Labour administration on Wandsworth Borough Council for its sense of “denial” over the roll-out of its new waste collection scheme.
Under the scheme, which was launched in June, separate vehicles now collect rubbish, recycling, food waste and small electricals and come at different times during the day, contributing to greater vehicle traffic and carbon emissions on Wandsworth’s roads.
The new system has resulted in scores of resident complaints about missed rubbish and food waste collections at a time when temperatures in London have soared to the mid-20s, as well as frustration at the poor way the Council has communicated these changes to residents.
The response to resident’s complaints? Denial from Labour at the recent Town Hall meeting:
It’s interesting you’re making such a fuss about this... [It’s] not smelling of a big problem for me... It’s going really well so far.
Labour Cllr. responsible for the implementation of the scheme.
This is yet another example of slipping standards at Wandsworth Borough Council.
