Brockenhurst and Pilley residents frustrated with missed bin collections under New Forest District Council’s new system

ANGRY residents in parts of the New Forest say they have waste piling up after three weeks of failed collections.

The new waste system, replacing sacks with wheelie bins, has been the subject of confusion and frustration by residents since its launch.

Donkeys have also been pictured breaking into the new food caddies.

Anthony Goodson, who lives in Brockenhurst, told the A&T that while food caddies in his road have been emptied twice, there has been not a single collection of general waste.

“We never had problems with rubbish being collected before. I’ve called and spoken with the council and they are confused as the depot says everything has been collected – of course that’s complete rubbish.

“When we report a missed collection, we are told it will be picked up in the next one or two days, but that is then Saturday or Sunday, so it isn’t.”

He added: “This is now becoming quite serious for all the properties in our road. How can it be that repeatedly general waste is not collected but is shown otherwise on their system? I find this extremely puzzling.”

He shared photos of waste scattered outside homes after livestock got into the bins, and added: “This can’t go on. They’re patting themselves on the back from an environmental aspect, but there’s been no thought for the impact on the open Forest.”

A resident in Church Lane in Pilley said NFDC had not empty her food caddie since the new system was rolled out on 9th June, despite her ensuring it was left out for collection.

Her son told the A&T: “After persistent calls to NFDC including the obnoxious long waiting times in the queues on the phone, we were persistently told they will empty the bin [on another day], but they never have yet.

“We found out last Friday they had not told the people who collect the food she was assisted collection. It still has not been collected.

“They also failed to empty the recycling on day one despite reassurances she had an assisted collection.”

He added: “Also, now it seems there are two lorries collecting every week – how can that possible be a cost saving? It means twice as many vehicles getting in the way on the beautiful narrow Forest country lanes, plus twice the impact on the environment, unless they are electric vehicles.

“If NFDC had bother or cared, they would have researched the food bins resistance to Forest animals and chosen a more complex bin closure. If they cared, they would have made damn sure they collect my mother's food bin when they said they would.”

Meanwhile residents at flats in Church Lane, Lymington, say they also have not had collections for three weeks, leading to a huge pile up of waste and recycling bags.

Resident Michael Robinson told the A&T that while NFDC had told residents at the 15-flat building they would receive communal bins and caddies, they are still using the black rubbish sacks and recycling bags.

“It is very difficult to get through to them, I tried twice but gave up. A couple of other residents have done the same – we’re just not getting anywhere.

“I understand it is a big operation and I don’t care if we stay with sacks, but at least pick them up!”

He said he was concerned rats could be attracted to the waste and people living closest to the bin store were already suffering with the bad smell.

The council says its officers have been patrolling areas where donkeys are present – including at Brockenhurst, Norley Wood, East Boldre and Pilley – to assess issues with the new system.

A spokesperson told the A&T: “Officers report seeing a handful of examples of donkeys interacting with waste containers, across a collection area covering around 1,650 properties.

“Reported incidents to the council from the public remain very minimal.”

The spokesperson added “most” outdoor food waste recycling caddies had been correctly presented and locked.

The council says in the first three weeks of the new service – up until Friday 27th June – it had carried out 97,857 food waste collections. Of these, 1,101 were reported as missed. That equates to just over 1% of the total properties on the collection rounds.”

NFDC’s assistant director for place operations, Chris Noble, added: “We have already had a helpful discussion with the Commoners Defence Association, and will seek to meet with our other partners, including Forestry England, and the verderers, to review our observations and discuss additional ways to reduce the chance of animals accessing food waste."

The council says it is aware a “small number of households in areas including Brockenhurst and Lymington have experienced delays to their food waste collections”.

“We’re sorry for any inconvenience this has caused and thank residents for their continued patience as we work through the early stages of this major service change.

“There are several reasons why some properties may have been missed. These include minor address data issues that we are actively resolving, and the additional time it takes for crews to adapt to new routes, systems and in-cab technology, particularly in rural areas where rounds are taking longer than anticipated.”

The spokesperson added: “Since the start of the new service, we have collected over 100 tonnes of food waste, and we are continuing to see high participation. We are allocating extra resources where needed and continuing to follow up on missed collections.”

Missed food waste collections can be reported online at www.newforest.gov.uk/missedcollection

Incidents involving animals and bins can be reported at www.newforest.gov.uk/article/4043/Report-bin-and-animal-incidents