Wickford residents slam 'useless' recycling sacks that let items escape

Residents were concerned by the amount of rubbish on the streets

Residents fed up with rubbish on their streets slammed "useless" recycling sacks which allowed items to escape.

Basildon Borough Council gave households reusable sacks in a bid to make sorting though plastic and paper more "efficient".

However, Wickford locals said they were "flimsy" and their contents could not be secured.

The local authority said it was looking in to the situation and the sacks may be "adjusted" in the future.

Nick Judd, 57, said the new bin bags were a "really bad idea"

Residents used to put all their recycling in a pink bag, but since the new scheme was introduced, they now have to put paper and card in a blue sack and plastic and metal in a white sack.

The council said the separation of the items meant "less sorting by processors" which could help it reach its recycling target.

However not everyone was impressed with the design of the sacks.

'Plastics blow away'

Resident Nick Judd, 57, said rubbish flew out of the sacks when it was windy.

"At least when you had the old system, it [the recycling] was contained and tied up.

"If you go into people's front gardens [now], there is cardboard, plastic and tins.

"I am not blaming the bin man, it [the bags] is just a bad idea."

Awantee Summun, 55, added: "In windy weather, no matter how much your try and secure it and tighten it, all the plastics get blown away."

Residents in Wickford have to separate items for recycling

While recycling was collected weekly, general rubbish was taken away less frequently which concerned some locals.

A petition, signed by almost 2,000 people, called for black bins to be picked up every week.

Tracy Barrick, 58, said: "I do not agree with [black bin] collection only once a fortnight.

"I do not know why we cannot have the pink bins back and why we cannot have weekly rubbish again, it is pathetic."

She said the state of the road was "disgusting" and added that the recycling bags were "flimsy and useless".

She was also concerned the rubbish would attract rats.

Councillor Kevin Blake, deputy leader of the council, said: "We are looking at a possibility of adjusting the bags, but going back to weekly collection of residual waste is not going to happen as far as I am concerned and I know there is a petition that has gone in for us to discuss that."