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Councillor turns street cleaner to help recycling launch!
Date published: 01/02/2008
The first recycling collections in parts of town got a mixed reception yesterday morning, the gales blowing bins over and emptying bags down rubbish strewn streets not helping, but in Norden one intrepid councillor, Wera Hobhouse, the council portfolio holder for the environment, was up with the larks and out on the streets all day helping to clear up the rubbish littering roads and pavements.
Councillor Hobhouse said of the chaos caused by the strong winds: "We’ve been out all day. On the whole, residents have been very understanding, and the Dunkirk spirit has kept them out there battling the elements and the bins.
"It has been a chaotic day because of the weather but from what I could see the amount of recycling we collected was fantastic. The street cleansing teams who were transferred from their normal duties to help out in the emergency rose to the occasion and cleared up many areas after the bin men.
"It's been a rollercoaster of a day, but my spirits have been sustained by the attitude of the local people."
Conservative councillor for Norden, Jim Gartside added: "It was a very windy morning and much plastic mess was being blown around in the Village and surrounding estates. However, the good folk of Norden went round picking up many of the blown over bins and flying rubbish and blue bags and by nine o'clock things were restored to near normality."
Elsewhere in town residents were not happy, in Central although the card and paper was taken, some residents returned home from work to find the recycling bin (bottles, plastics, etc.) had not been emptied!
Central resident John Butterworth said: "This is the first run of a flagship initiative aimed at improving recycling! It has fallen at the first hurdle. The incompetence of an organisation which allows this to happen beggars belief. What, pray tell are they going to do with the non-recyclable bins if they cannot get this first one right?
"I hope that our portfolio holder for the environment has the head of the relevant department on a platter by 10.30am tomorrow and that the council will see fit to notify us, the poor bewildered punters exactly when relevant bins are going to be collected."
Labour councillor Susan Emmott, who has been a vocal critic of the change to fortnightly collections, said the system is a "shambles", adding, "to listen to Councillor Wera Hobhouse you would have thought there were no problems with it all.
"And if you dare criticise the fortnightly bin collections, like I have done, she then accuses you of undermining council officers and demands that you apologise to them. In short, she can't take criticism herself and feels the need to hide behind council officers.
"Let me make my position clear on this matter, I don't blame a single council officer or employee for any problems with fortnightly collections, I blame, 100%, Councillor Wera Hobhouse!"
Read Councillor Hobhouse's diary entry on the day:
Read Councillor Gartside's diary entry on the day:
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