Gwynedd bin lorries 'worse at littering than residents'

The council is concerned that bins are blocking pavements across the county

A council planning a crackdown on residents blocking pavements by leaving their bins out for days on end has been urged to get its own house in order.

People in Gwynedd could be fined for putting their rubbish out on the wrong days or not taking bins back inside.

But members of a scrutiny committee said their own recycling lorries were leaving trails of paper and plastic.

Councillor Annwen Hughes said: "We should be looking closer to home first before asking for the public's help."

"Living in the Harlech area, it's clear to anyone when the recycling lorries have been to visit," she said.

"There's usually way more material spread across the side of the road, which by the looks of it is because the doors haven't been shut properly."

She added: "All of this recycling material is just left there and looks awful. I think it's about time that someone had a word with the relevant staff and urged them to make sure that the contents aren't allowed to fly out everywhere."

Councillor Angela Russell, from Llanbedrog, claimed that if enforcement action had been taking place across the county, "Gwynedd Council would have received the most fines for littering out of everyone".

As for the clampdown on residents, councillors confirmed they would be judged on a case-by-case basis, accepting that some households had nowhere else to store bins and boxes.

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Catrin Wager, the cabinet member for highways and municipal services, stressed the scheme was not designed to make money, and that offenders would only face action if the problem persisted.

In response to concerns about rubbish flying out of lorries, she said a study of shift patterns showed that many crews were having to "rush" some rounds.

The new strategy will include a promotional campaign to raise awareness of waste and recycling rules, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Gwynedd's cabinet will make the final decision on the proposals.