A FRUSTRATED resident has said it is “nonsense” to suggest the council’s wheelie-bin initiative has resulted in tidier streets.

Last week, Tendring Council’s Michael Talbot announced the ambitious roll-out of thousands of wheelie bins across the district was close to completion.

The new service was introduced last June and saw 58,000 households switch from weekly black bag collections to a fortnightly bin service.

The environment and public space portfolio holder also claimed, “bins look neater, our streets are much tidier with less rubbish blowing around”.

But homeowner David Price, of Kirby Road, in Walton, has been left angered by the comments and says in his area there is little evidence to back-up the comments.

He said: “Mill Lane appears to have been converted into an unofficial rubbish dump for all the black sacks which, presumably, cannot fit in the fortnightly wheelie bins.

“In my house there are only two of us, but our wheelie bin is still 60per cent full by the end of the fortnight – and we recycle as much as possible.

“I have also seen chairs, fridges, and even the traditional mattress dumped there – so, to claim the streets are tidier is nonsense.”

In addition to Mill Lane, Kirby Road bus stop, the seafront and Alfred Terrace are all becoming dumping grounds for rubbish bags, according to Mr Price.

Sadly, flytipping is a growing trend and the number of major cases in Tendring has risen within the last eight years.

Between 2018 and 2019, for example, the district was hit with 718 reported incidents of flytipping, which cost the authority just under £40,000 to clear up.

Mr Price says he is struggling to see how the council can combat illegal rubbish dumping without first changing its wheelie bin scheme.

“It is very difficult to see what the council can do about it now. It would take good CCTV and round-the-clock surveillance,” he said.

“The problem is becoming widespread and the public bins are often overflowing – I have witnessed people depositing bags of household rubbish in them.

“But I suspect the town will look and smell lovely for all the holidaymakers in the summer.”

A Tendring Council spokesman said any unauthorised build up of black bags should be reported so action can be taken.

“We have had instances before where upon investigation we have been able to educate households and resolve issues such as properties without bins or authorised side waste who are entitled to them," he said. 

“Repeat offences are investigated and enforcement taken where appropriate; the vast majority of households are having no problems at all with the new waste service, which has seen recycling rates rise and the amount of waste going to landfill fall.”