Council blamed for ‘shocking’ state of town’s litter-strewn streets

Richard Evans Local Democracy Reporter

A councillor has described a coastal town’s streets as “shocking” due to the amount of strewn litter caused by street bins not being emptied.

At a council meeting at Denbighshire ’s Ruthin County Hall HQ, Rhyl councillor Brian Jones said street bins in Rhyl were often over-filled with rubbish that ended up blowing in the streets.

Cllr Jones raised the subject after it emerged that Christmas street bin collections were particularly bad, as well as weekends.

The problem has persisted since November when additional funding for extra “street-scene” staff ran out.

Cllr Jones claimed some councillors went out after Christmas and collected 200 bin bags of rubbish.

“Abysmal”

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Jones said: “Unfortunately, the street bin collections over Christmas were abysmal. It is not the fault of the frontline people, that. Obviously, there is not a strategy.

“Can the lead member tell us what is the strategy that the service is working on to bring street bin collections at the weekends into place because it is clearly failing in Rhyl in my ward?”

Cllr Barry Mellor is the cabinet member in charge of bins. “The management team are working on it,” he said.

“Over the last few months, there was funding in there for extra staff with the street scene.

“That funding finished, and we were left short in the street scene. I believe now we are back to strength, or getting back to strength, within the street scene, and you should see an improvement.”

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Jones claimed Rhyl’s streets were “shocking” due to the amount of rubbish blowing everywhere.

Blame

Cllr Jones blames the problem on the fact that residents are putting rubbish in street bins as residential waste is not being collected on time since the launch of the council’s new trolibocs recycling scheme in June.

He said: “My fellow Conservative councillor, Cllr Will Price, as well as Cllr Michelle Blakeley-Walker ( Labour ), they collected, the day after Boxing Day, they filled over 200 black bin bags with rubbish out of street scene bins on their ward.

“The street bins were overflowing because residents didn’t have the capacity to recycle it anywhere else in their trolibocs, and some of it was blowing in the streets.”

He added: “The lead member said in a previous meeting they were working on a strategy of weekend bin collections, and as of yesterday, the lead member still could not tell us what the strategy is.

“They are still working on the strategy, but all we are doing here is trying to empty street bins at the weekend. How long do you need to put a strategy together?

“If you go around some areas of Rhyl, it is shocking. It’s not good enough.”