A dispute between Perth residents and the local authority led to rubbish bins not being emptied for over four weeks.
The waste from a block of flats at Morris Court was ignored by collection lorries as they were found to be overfilled, with black bags left out of the communal bins and inside recycling buckets.
However one tenant claimed they had “no choice” as they do not have enough space for storing rubbish between uplifts.
Nicky Revill contacted The Courier in a desperate bid to highlight the situation as he feels that it is going to keep happening unless they are given a second bin.
“In our block there are 12 flats and there is a large communal bin for each block,” he said. “After a week the bins are full but Perth and Kinross Council doesn’t seem to think that there’s a problem.
“They think that it’s purely because we haven’t been recycling properly and have been using the blue bins for general waste.
“That was only because there was no room in the green bin and there were already black bags spilling out of the big bucket.Store room full”It actually got so bad that we couldn’t even get to the bin and the door to the storage facility couldn’t be closed properly.
“I don’t know about the other residents but my partner and I certainly don’t generate enough recycling for it to make much of a difference if it ends up in the green bin instead.”
As the tenants of Morris Court fought to resolve the conflict they were forced to endure the smell of the ever-increasing rubbish pile.
There were also concerns about children playing near the bins, as some of the bags had spilled out of the storage area and into the residents’ car park.
Although Nicky admits he did consider using the bins in neighbouring blocks, he decided against it as he felt it would only make the problem more widespread.
He added, “If we had put our rubbish in those bins then it would have just become an even bigger issue. I have tried talking to the council to see about getting an extra bin but they just seem to be keen on us recycling more. That’s all very well but it totally depends on every resident making the effort not just one or two.
“Everyone has to be doing it or it just won’t work.”
While the bins have now been emptied and the extra bags of waste disposed of, the tenants at 49-60 Morris Court are now facing a financial penalty for this and the work done to clear up the area.
This has enraged Nicky as he feels the residents are not liable for the problems over rubbish disposal.
Continued…
“The system at Morris Court is just wrong because it’s not very accessible,” he continued. “I don’t think we should be getting charged for the uplift because we are already paying council tax for these services.
“It is probably going to keep happening as well because, just a couple of days after they were emptied, the bins were practically full again.”
A spokeswoman from Perth and Kinross Council confirmed the bins had not been emptied at Morris Court due to being overfilled and excess waste being left out.
She said, “The council has been working closely with the building’s factor to resolve the matter.
“The factor, having authorised a clean-up of the bin store, has written to residents advising that the works will be carried out and the costs charged directly to them.
“The council has also written to residents asking them to ensure that the bins and bin store area are kept tidy and free of excess waste and that they separate recyclable waste into the correct containers.
“Blue recycling bags have been provided to residents to help with this process.
“All bins have been emptied and normal uplifts will be carried out as per the collections schedule provided that the bins and bin store are kept in a suitable condition.”