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15
Jan 2024
Council to review locations of ‘reeking’ Harrogate district litter bins
North Yorkshire Council is to review its litter bin policy in the Harrogate district after complaints.
The council is spending £478,000 on replacing about 1,500 litter bins in the district with 775 new, larger bins.
The new bins are emptied less frequently and more likely to be located alongside main roads to make them easier for council staff to collect. It is hoped the new approach will save between £17,000 and £19,000 a year and free up staff for other duties like litter picking.
But the decision to get rid of many old bins in parks, where dogs are walked, and empty them less frequently has upset residents.
The Stray Ferret covered this issue widely last year, reporting on concerns in Knox and Jennyfields as well as submitting a freedom if information request to the council.
The larger new bins are emptied less frequently.
Numerous complaints — including stench — were raised at a meeting of the council's Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on Friday.
Monika Slater, a Liberal Democrat who represents Bilton Grange and New Park, said the placement of bins was "something I have a bit of a problem with".
Cllr Slater said some were overflowing and one in Charles Avenue in Bilton "did absolutely reek". People, she added, were dropping poo bags where bins used to be.
Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said he received more emails about poo bins than anything else. He added:
Cllr Hannah Gostlow, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough East, said Knaresborough Town Council "received lots of emails about it not working" and asked when the promised additional street cleaning would begin.
Michael Leah assistant director for environmental services, told councillors:
Michael Leah (left) and Harry Briggs at the council meeting.
Mr Leah and Harry Briggs, the council's newly appointed head of waste and streetscene services, said the new policy was a legacy project inherited from Harrogate Borough Council. which was abolished on April 1 last year.
Mr Briggs said the bins were located "as close to a road as humanly possible because staff have a large work programme for the day so they don’t have time to go into the park".
But he acknowledged the system hadn't worked smoothly:
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