Douglas Council bans 'panic buying' of second wheelie bins

Black bin collections are due to become fortnightly in Douglas from September

Households in the Isle of Man's capital will be banned from "panic buying" a second black wheelie bin, the local authority has agreed.

It comes after Douglas Council saw a surge in demand for extra capacity ahead of a move from weekly to fortnightly collections in September.

Councillor Falk Horning said the change to domestic waste collections was designed to "entice people to recycle".

As a result, only one bin per household will be emptied by the council.

'Special circumstances'

A report by the authority's Executive Committee recommended the policy of allowing a second bin, worth about £50, to be bought by householders should be suspended.

However, residents will be able to apply to use an extra bin if a need for it can be demonstrated.

Applications will be assessed by property inspections and discussions with tenants and owners about "occupancy, any unusual waste items, or other special circumstances", the report said.

The move to alternate recycling and black bin collection services is expected to save Douglas Council about £25,000 by reducing the volume of waste sent for disposal at the island's energy from waste plant.

Mr Horning told the Local Democracy Reporting Service there had been a rise in people "panic buying" a second bin following the announcement of the changes in January.

The reduction in general domestic waste collections would be preceded by a new fortnightly garden waste disposal service, which will begin in August, he added.

However, the new domestic waste policy was not backed by all councillors, with Stephen Pitts arguing the cut in collections "has not been explained to people" as many were ratepayers remained uncertain about how to use the council's recycling service.