Sutton Council refuse to cut weekly bin services

By Peter Apps, Charlene Cole & Alice Foster

Weekly bin collections are being protected in Sutton, despite a £1m cut to the service, thanks to a fruit-themed makeover.

From April 16 collections will run from 6am-8:30pm weekdays and 7am-2:45pm on Saturdays, requiring some residents to put their bins out on a different day.

The council has divided the borough into six zones, each represented by a different fruit, which relate to the day of the week their rubbish will be collected.

Councillor Colin Hall, Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change at Sutton Council, said: “Our residents told us that weekly waste collections were a priority for them, so we have found an innovative way of protecting front line services while still cutting costs.”

The plans mean the council does not have to resort to cutting collections, introducing charges or laying off staff.

Fewer refuse vehicles operating for a longer time will save taxpayers £500,000, with the remainder saved through changes to back office arrangements.

However some residents have expressed concern about the early start of the new collections.

Benhilton Court Residents Association Treasurer, Chris Case, said: “I’m worried about the noise in the early mornings – it’s a very early start so a lot of people might still be asleep.”

The council is using fruit to help residents to remember the new collection day: Monday is represented by a blueberry, Tuesday by a lime and so on.

Leaflets and calendars in the colour of the relevant fruit will be distributed to residents in the week before the change.

Under the scheme, green bins and garden waste will now be collected fortnightly on the same day as other rubbish.

Residents can find their collection day from April 10 by putting their postcode into the ‘My Local Services’ section of the Sutton Council homepage.

To see the fruit map and for more info, visit: http://www.sutton.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10019