Lib-Dem Councillors in B&NES are warning that the Conservative plan to reduce waste collections to fortnightly could lead to bin chaos.

B&NES residents have been receiving letters from the Council in recent days

announcing the change and explaining whether they will be issued with a wheelie bin or (in Bath city centre) a gull-proof sack for the changes due in November. Lib-Dem Leader, Councillor Dine Romero (Southdown), commented: “Many local people are still angry that this new policy is being imposed on them with no consultation and with no choice. One of my main concerns is that the Council has opted for one of the smallest wheelie bins on the market that can only hold about three bags of rubbish and are smaller than a typical wheelie bin, such as those used in Bristol. Residents are allowed to ask for a larger bin, or a gull proof sack, but the deadline is 5th May – months before the bins are being delivered.

Without a pilot scheme, it has no way of knowing if most people will be able to manage.”

A Council spokesperson said: “From July 2016 to date, the Council has continued to provide updates on developments and explain that we are not proposing a ‘one size fits all’ approach – and this latest round of letters clarifies this. We have repeatedly stated that we are keen to hear from households who are concerned that they may have difficulty with the changes and we will work with them to help ensure they are recycling all they can.”