U.K. Town Boycotts Recycling Bins

Residents in Henley and South Oxfordshire, U.K. are boycotting the new recycling bins that will be distributed throughout the neighborhood. According to several residents, the bins could be too dangerous for elderly householders.

“Wheelie bins are being forced upon us. The district council has said that it will send officers to assess the close but I haven’t seen anybody," says a resident. Photo: Thisislondon.co.uk

Furthermore, the group is citing that the 240-liter and 180-liter bins are an “eyesore” in a town that is fueled by tourism. Residents are so against the placement of the bins that they are threatening to put their trash into bags.

“We are thinking of putting all our rubbish into bags and putting them on the grass at the top of the close to be collected,” a resident tells the Henley Standard.

“If the binmen don’t collect them, then we will have to call the district council and ask them to come back,” she adds. “Rubbish collection is what we pay our council tax for. There are residents here in their eighties and nineties – it would be dangerous for them to move the bins, particularly in bad weather.”

However, the council says the wheelie bins will boost recycling rates, and residents will eventually get over their concerns or “teething problems.” In a letter to the Henley Standard, David Dodds, council cabinet member for waste, is optimistic about the new bins.

“I believe it will be a hugely positive change for our district,” he says. “For the first time we will be able to compost food that would normally go to landfill and people will be able to recycle glass, drink cartons such as Tetra Paks, aluminium foil and aerosols from their household collections.”