Eastbourne residents concerned as delay in bin deliveries lead to rubbish build up

The issue comes less than two weeks after the council switched to fortnightly bin collections.

Danielle Atkinson of St Anthony’s Avenue said, “We ordered bins back in March because we knew that it would be obviously swapped over and we are a house of 12.”

Miss Atkinson explained that because they were still without the new bin they were forced to use their brown bin.

She said, “We get a through a lot of rubbish so we built up the brown bin and stuck a note on it saying, ‘Please can you take this. We are waiting for our bins.’

“I was actually out there as they were collecting and said, ‘Could you take my bin?’ And they just ignored me and carried on.”

Miss Atkinson said she was due to receive her new bin by April 18 but it had still not arrived as of April 20.

She said, “There are a lot of people waiting for bins. They have changed the collections but yet they haven’t got the bins to provide to actually avoid this.”

The Eastbourne woman explained that it is difficult to only fill their current bins being a house of 12.

Miss Atkinson said, “We have got little ones in the house so we have got nappies and all sorts and I don’t want it all over the road and that but we have got bags piled up at the side of our house waiting to go in the bin.

“I just don’t know what to do with it all.”

Fellow Eastbourne resident Poppy Frances of Beltring Road is also waiting for a new bin from the council.

Miss Frances said, “I am having a [night]mare. So I requested a bigger bin at the end of February and I am still waiting for it to be delivered.

“I went on the online chat on their website and they said that they had a shortage so they were still waiting for a delivery for the first time that I went on there which was about middle of March-time.

“Then I went on again last week as well when they said they had just been delivered so they are waiting for them to be dispatched. So it has been almost two months that I have been waiting for it.”

Miss Frances also said she was struggling with the fortnightly collections due to her current bins.

Miss Frances said, “I have five guinea pigs and they get cleaned twice a week so it pretty much fills up the bins with just both of them so currently our bin is overflowing a little.”

A spokesperson for Eastbourne Borough Council said, “It is just 12 days into the new waste and recycling scheme and we’ve had a fantastic response from residents.

“People have quickly adapted to the new system of alternate weekly collections and as a consequence they are helping to cut the town’s carbon footprint and increase the amount of waste that is recycled.

“We have just received another large delivery of new bins from the manufacturer, which means we can start delivering over a thousand additional bins to local homes from next week.”

To find out how you can do your bit to reduce carbon emissions and increase recycling, visit www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/waste.