Hertfordshire news: Health and safety concerns could lead to ‘bin blight’, council warned

East Herts Council - which covers Hertford, Bishop's Stortford, Buntingford, Sawbridgeworth and Ware
-Credit: (Image: Will Durrant/LDRS)


Councillors have been warned that concerns for the health and safety of binmen in East Herts could lead to a ‘bin blight’ on a “picturesque” island. East Herts Council is considering introducing wheelie bin collections on Folly Island in Hertford, replacing sacks that are currently taken from properties.

A petition was launched to try to prevent the change and has received around 1,0000 signatures.Council leader Cllr Ben Crystall and Cllr Tim Hoskin, executive member for environmental sustainability, had met with residents in August prior to the petition to discuss the changes and said that a final decision has not yet been made.

At a council meeting last week (Wednesday, 16 October), Cllr Hoskin said the plan was not about saving money but about moving away from a system that is not “standard”.

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He said the current system involves “manual handling” of bin bags by binmen. He said: “This isn’t in line with the current best practice in terms of health and safety for the operatives, and there’s a duty on the council to explore how this practice can be brought up to date and modified.

“That isn’t the same as saying one size fits all, and the operational team at East Herts have already started to explore with residents about how they can work out an approach that seeks to minimise the current working practices and smooth the way for future developments in waste and recycling.”

Cllr Hoskin said the council had sent a letter to 112 properties that would be affected by the changes inviting them to give their views, but only 23 responses from 19 households had been received. He said: “We will, of course, follow the wishes of those 19 houses.”

Cllr Alex Daar, who represents the ward which includes Folly Island, said the council’s executive is “fully committed to finding a mutually agreeable solution for residents and for the council’s need to introduce a new waste contract to meet obligations placed on us from central government.”

She said the council wants to “preserve the historic beauty” of the area.

The petition was organised by Keeley Haylett. She told the meeting that the proposals were “causing concern” among residents and “lacked the appropriate consideration of Folly Island’s unique infrastructure and additional challenges”.

Ms Haylett said the “bin blight” risked damaging the island's “picturesque charm” and could attract rats and pests. She expressed concerns that wheelie bins may not fit in gardens and that elderly and disabled people may be particularly affected. She suggested the proposals were “cost-cutting measures disguised as green initiatives.”

A final decision on potential changes to the collections on Folly Island is yet to be made.