Calls for changes to collections of 'overflowing' bins

Residents say the bins are "constantly overflowing"

Residents living near a beauty spot say they are fed up with "constantly overflowing bins".

The Saintbridge Pond and Nature Reserve in Abbeydale, Gloucestershire, is often visited by voluntary litter pickers who claim the council do not empty the bins enough.

Street cleaning staff are recording the fill level of all bins in the area to gather data and help Gloucester City Council adjust its schedule for emptying them.

A spokesperson for the council encouraged visitors to find other bins or carry their litter home with them for now.

Marilyn McKechnie, who volunteers as a litter picker daily, said she requested the installation of an additional bin to help solve problem.

She claims a bin by the pond was last emptied on 5 August and was "overflowing onto the pedestrian path" by 15 August.

'Mediocre service'

Councillor Andrew Gravells said the rubbish collection service is "a shambles".

He wants to scrutinise how the £9.5m cost for waste contractor Ubico is being used, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

“The majority of Ubico’s workforce on the ground do a great job, in awful weather sometimes, and they are brilliant.

“What’s not brilliant is how the £9.5m Ubico got from the City Council this year is spent and what their bosses are doing to deliver a better service for this city."

“At the moment parts of the service are mediocre, to put it mildly," he added.

'It will take time'

A spokesperson for Gloucester City Council said all litter bins in the city are now digitally mapped.

“Our street cleaning staff, when emptying, are recording the fill level of the bin and this data is being gathered so that moving forward we will be able to adjust emptying schedules accordingly, but this will take a little time as there are more than 1,100 bins in the city.

“There are several litter bins at Saintbridge Pond and we would like to encourage residents to find an alternative bin if the nearest one is full, or carry their litter home and dispose of it in their waste bin."