Calls for bigger bins outside city centre

The recent rollout of larger litter bins in York should be extended beyond the city centre, as existing ones elsewhere struggle to cope, a local campaigner has said.

York Council recently introduced larger 240l litter bins in an attempt to stop them overflowing.

Liberal Democrat activist Andrew Mortimer said the council should consider installing these bins outside shops and takeaways by the Hull Road and Melrosegate junction to replace ones that regularly overflow.

Jenny Kent, the council's environment spokesperson, said its waste collection teams were working to keep the city as tidy as possible despite being stretched.

The new bins have been installed at the southern end of Parliament Street, in Stonebow, Duncolme Place and along Blake Street.

A council report stated there were plans to install bins in Station Road, close to York Station by the Cholera Burial Ground, this year. It added other sites could be considered for new bins as and where appropriate.

The council has also bought a compact Goupil vehicle designed to pass through narrow spaces in the city centre to collect and clean bins more quickly.

Staff will also be working on new shift patterns that cover longer hours and seven days a week from this spring, following a successful trial during the Christmas Market period.

An extra road sweeper has also been added to the council's fleet this year.

Speaking at the council's Environment Decision Session on April 29, Mortimer said suggestions that the rollout of larger litter bins could take place were welcome, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He said: "But the report only seems to deal with the city centre, there's a high concentration of takeaways at Hull Road shops and existing bins there are regularly overflowing at the weekend with pizza boxes.

"This seems like the ideal location to trial a larger bin."

Environment executive member Kent said: "When we've got nine million visitors a year there will be bins overflowing on a hot summer's day but that doesn't mean there isn't a schedule in place.

"Those bins will be collected and if they haven't been, there's a good reason for it, it doesn't mean that someone doesn't care or that there isn't a system.

"Our teams are stretched as they are in all local authorities, but some of the pictures I see on a daily basis of what they've cleaned up before we've had breakfast is revolting.

"They don't give up and they put up with complaints, they're the unsung heroes of our city."

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