Caught on Candid Camera!

Posted By: Susan Emmott
Date Posted: 07/02/2008

In today's edition of the Heywood Advertiser there is clear photographic evidence of what many of us in Heywood have suspected for a long time - that the waste we all assiduously separate into our green bins, blue topped bins, blue bags etc. is not always separated properly by the Council.

A resident of Bury New Road, Heywood could not believe his eyes when he saw a bin crew tip the contents of his green household waste bin and his blue-topped recycling bin into the refuse wagon at the same time and side by side!

He then saw them do exactly the same with his neighbour's bins. He was so incensed that he took a photograph of the crew emptying the two different bins at the same time. The clear photographic evidence is on page 5 of this week's Heywood Advertiser.

This follows reports made to some councillors last November that this was happening on parts of Darn Hill. But the councillors were told by the Environment Department that the residents were mistaken! Well, now we have evidence in full technicolour!

This revelation follows the introduction of Fortnightly Bin Collections in Rochdale last week and by all accounts it all went far from smoothly. I have seen posters on the Rochdale Online Message Board complain that bins were not emptied when they should have been and also many councillor colleagues representing Rochdale Wards have told me of problems. So it seems it was not all Dunkirk Spirit and stiff upper lips!

And all this just to be shown evidence in today's Heywood Advertiser that we can't be 100% certain that our waste is being separated properly by the Council. One can only presume that the recyclables that residents of Bury New Road had carefully separated from their household waste, eventually ended up as landfill collection. It kind of puts all the pious lectures and wearing of dresses made of rubbish into context, does it not?

Recycling is very important, but residents will only be brought "on board" if they see real value for money. At the moment, Rochdale Council's political direction in Environmental Services only seems to be keeping an eye on recycling and has put the blinkers on when it comes to actually giving a decent refuse collection in return for Council Tax payer's money. That is what I have meant these past few months when I have referred to the "extremist zealots" who only care about recycling, recycling, recycling and nothing else.