Fears 28-day wait for bin collections in Cheltenham will attract rats
Residents have said they are worried a 28-day gap between bin collections in Cheltenham will attract rats, as ITV News' Max Walsh reports
Residents in part of Cheltenham have said they're unhappy they won't have some bins collected for nearly a month over Christmas.It comes as councils across the South West consider cutting collections for household waste - in a bid to save money and improve recycling rates.
Currently most general waste bins are collected every fortnight, but several local authorities are now extending the time between pick ups.
"It could be a problem for people with families," Clive Wilce, told ITV News as he faces a 28-day wait for his next general waste collection.
"We've got a problem with rats in the back lane," he added. "If there's food waste left, there's going to be vermin about isn't there."
The council said the temporary inconvenience is designed to give workers a much-needed voice and it isn't becoming common practice.
Cllr Izzaac Tailford, from Cheltenham Borough Council, said: "We'd like to do this for Christmas for those waste and recycling teams.
"But for general week-to-week, I have no intention to change how frequently we collect the bins."
Somerset Council has already moved to three-weekly household waste collections. In Bristol, leaked documents suggest four-weekly bin collections are being considered by the Green administration.
Although no decision has been made it has sparked a lot of debate.
"People who fill their bins up before the two weeks are over stick it in our bin," one resident told ITV News. "So I don't think it's a good idea [to reduce collections] to be honest."
One other resident said: "Usually after two weeks we have plenty of rubbish as it is, the bin is usually full. So after four weeks we'd be overpowered with rubbish."
Head of the Labour Group Tom Renhard has started a petition opposing plans to cut bin collections in Bristol which has since been signed by almost 2,000 people.
"We think it's total madness," he said.
"We've got issues with fly-tipping across the city, we've got issues with bin collections and recycling collections at the moment not happening at the frequency they should. That service needs sorting out before we start looking at anything else in terms of reducing frequency."
A Bristol City Council spokesperson told ITV News all options are currently draft proposals and no decisions on recycling and black bin collections will be made until the entire city is consulted.
But there are many authorities moving towards three-weekly collections, including South Gloucestershire Council and North Somerset Council.