You’ve bin warned – keep lids closed, says Dorset council

PURBECK residents have been warned to close bin lids properly or their rubbish will not be collected by the council.

The stark warning comes in the wake of an accident that killed a bin man in Gloucestershire.

Council built environment spokesman Martyn Colvey said: “Although it has always been the council’s policy that lids must be firmly shut, sometimes bins have been collected with their lids ajar.

Purbeck District Council takes the safety of staff working for them extremely seriously. Consequently, with immediate effect, bins will not be collected if their lids are not completely closed.”

The move follows a tragic accident, in February, which claimed the life of a 52-year-old Gloucestershire Sita waste collector who was crushed by his own bin lorry.

This incident is still being investigated by the Health and safety Executive.

A council spokesman said: “The employee was killed after becoming caught in the bin lifting mechanism on a refuse collection vehicle.

“Overfilled bins reduce the collector’s ability to ensure that the containers are correctly mounted on the bin lifting mechanisms.”

At that time Sita released a statement saying: “At this difficult time our thoughts are obviously with his family and work colleagues. All those involved in the incident have been offered counselling.

“Sita takes its health and safety obligations very seriously. The events leading up to the incident are now a matter for investigation by ourselves, the police and the Health and Safety Executive.”

Comments(10)

Nickolai says...
12:13pm Wed 2 Jun 10

Perhaps if you collected the rubbish weekly at least instead of every two weeks then the bins would not be overflowing.

colin 50 says...
1:49pm Wed 2 Jun 10

Nickolai wrote:
Perhaps if you collected the rubbish weekly at least instead of every two weeks then the bins would not be overflowing.
and if you and other residents got your act together and recycled properly the bins would not be overfilled. i personally think all our local councils are useless and a waste of space and taxpayers money but in this instance i hope they stick to this policy and ignore stupid statements like yours.

cantique says...
4:35pm Wed 2 Jun 10

Surely the council have a respsonsibility to empty the bins. Where is the logic in leaving an overflowing bin uncollected, and emptying one only half full? This just exacerbates the situation, and can lead to more rubbish being left on our streets. I have seen this happen in my road - and how often do our streets get cleaned? For some months now there has been glass from a broken car window on the pavement and litter in the road. Don't we pay council tax for this to be cleared up?

Phixer says...
5:21pm Wed 2 Jun 10

"For some months now there has been glass from a broken car window on the pavement and litter in the road. Don't we pay council tax for this to be cleared up?"

Why should I - and others - have to pay to clear up a mess outside your home?

Why look at it '...for some months....' when you could clear it up yourself if you find it an issue?

WIGGINSv says...
5:24pm Wed 2 Jun 10

For the bin to be emptied properly, the lid should be closed shut, otherwise the top contents spew into the lifting apparatus causing spillage onto the road...
Just have a look at all the overfilled bins as you walk past them on collection days.

Benniestewart says...
8:23pm Wed 2 Jun 10

Its not only the BinMen that have problems we have just spent a considerable amount of money erecting a wall to hide our neighbours Bins that are permanently perched outside our frontdoor These bins week after week are left out full and smelly
Apart from being an eyesore Bins
especially when people are able to take ''them in'' as in this case, should be taken in people should be issued with warnings and fined for not doing so People once had pride in their home but today so many seem to feel its ok to live alongside their rubbish.
The BinMin do a fantastic job that is vastly underrated I am so sorry to hear of this accident

Account Suspended says...
9:19am Thu 3 Jun 10

colin 50 wrote:
Nickolai wrote:
Perhaps if you collected the rubbish weekly at least instead of every two weeks then the bins would not be overflowing.
and if you and other residents got your act together and recycled properly the bins would not be overfilled. i personally think all our local councils are useless and a waste of space and taxpayers money but in this instance i hope they stick to this policy and ignore stupid statements like yours.
I'm sorry but the stupid statement isn't the original post.

We recycle everything that we possibly can - but the non-recyclable rubbish for a family of four with pets never fits in the bins provided.

Purbeck's kerbside recycling scheme is simply not adequate to replace a week's worth of bin collections.

Expecting people to take so much rubbish/recycling to the tip themselves is surely not the answer - us all jumping in our cars and burning petrol in order to recycle a bit of cardboard is laughable.

upontown says...
3:37pm Thu 3 Jun 10

Why should anyone recycle anything? Who's keeping who happy?

Why can't people put whatever they want in their bin, they pay for it!

Why should TAX payers be forced to endure a fortnightly collection which is 10 years behind everyone else?

PDC charge enough Council Tax so how about giving a little back for a change?

Nikolai is totally right imo. Give them another bin, after all, you TAX by the dwelling do you not or are you going to change that scenario too?

sunnydorset says...
9:49am Fri 4 Jun 10

I happy to recycle, I am annoyed with the fortnightly for £170pm council tax. It might help if PDC actually picked up ALL recycling PDC do not collect corregated cardboard, plastic bottles/containers. Sita have the contact for Poole Council allows those items to be collected. Ringwood council even gives you a bin for garden waste! If you collected a little bit more than the bins wouldnt be so full.

sunnydorset says...
9:49am Fri 4 Jun 10

I happy to recycle, I am annoyed with the fortnightly for £170pm council tax. It might help if PDC actually picked up ALL recycling PDC do not collect corregated cardboard, plastic bottles/containers. Sita have the contact for Poole Council allows those items to be collected. Ringwood council even gives you a bin for garden waste! If you collected a little bit more than the bins wouldnt be so full.

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