As part of the £65 million plans undertaken by the council, residents in Birmingham will have their old garbage bag system of rubbish removal replaced with new wheelie bins, to align with the majority of the UK.
At present, residents place garbage bags and small rubbish bins on the side of the road where it is collected by dustmen. However under the new scheme, suitable houses will be provided with two larger wheelie bins for rubbish and recycling purposes.
Photo: Wheelie bins are being rolled out across Birmingham. It’s the bitterly controversial rubbish scheme… http://t.co/ujB2O1yhRi
— London Pest Control (@AlbanyPest) February 12, 2015
Despite the initial outlay for the cost of the project, the council says the new system will create less waste, result in more recycling, cleaner streets and reduced taxpayer costs.
However there has been outrage from some residents and local councils over the plans, and in particular, the council’s method of determining whose property is suitable for a wheelie bin upgrade.
Birmingham Council has said that the use of Google Street View has been helpful in checking the front access of properties in the city to determine whether they should be issued with wheelie bins.
Birmingham Council uses Google 2 decide which homes should receive wheelie bins http://t.co/HywaFHC5K5 scheme described as shambolic
— Mikkil (@MikkiL) February 11, 2015
However some residents who have been informed that they will receive an upgrade say that Google Street View doesn’t fully show any difficulties at the front of their houses such as slopes and steps, which they claim will make it almost impossible to carry a larger, heavier wheelie bin down to the road.
The council has backed its methods, but Councillor John Hunt, who has been a long time critic of the wheelie bin revolution, says the plans to introduce these larger, heavier bins isn’t suitable in many parts of the city, particularly in hilly, uneven areas where many elderly people live.
Are wheelie bins such a good idea in Birmingham? A house with 9 bedsits needs a few more wheelie bins, don't you know pic.twitter.com/S95uG1qBsd
— Nasim Awan (@SpringfieldAwan) November 9, 2014
The majority of residents in the city have been informed of whether they will receive a bin upgrade, and while people with legitimate claims can contest the decision, council officials say that residents will have no choice but to change over to the new wheelie bins once a final decision has been made.
