New bins will help deter gulls, council says

Councillor Peter Harvey said new bins "will help combat gulls scavenging from sacks"

New bins are being introduced for residents in a coastal area in a bid to help deter gulls and help keep streets free from litter, a council has said.

About 2,000 households in Bootle, Merseyside, will see changes to their bin collections with weekly sack collections stopped and the introduction of wheelie bins.

Weekly waste collections will change to alternate weekly collections with separate bins provided for recycling later this month, a letter to residents has said.

Peter Harvey, the cabinet member for Sefton Council's cleansing and street scene department, said the move would "help combat gulls scavenging from sacks and reduce the risk of rubbish blowing around... making Bootle's streets cleaner."

The changes will see an end to sack collections

"We hope that improvement in waste containment in the area will also discourage people from fly-tipping," Mr Harvey said.

He said from mid-August households in the Derby ward, Bootle, will see the changes which "align with our standard model across Sefton".

However, some residents raised concerns.

Commenting on a local Facebook page, Michael Brennan said not everyone wanted wheelie bins.

"A lot of people like the idea of gull-proof sacks, which are used by other coastal towns up and down the UK," he said.

Lynn Cato added: "Our house has no front garden or space to put a wheelie bin."

Kate Sullivan wrote: "I've seen houses with wheelie bins still dumping black bags outside. If you have more rubbish than a bin can hold, the seagull problem isn't solved."

The council said residents would be kept fully informed.