Concerns that new Wokingham bin regime poses 'danger' to vulnerable people

A Kiln Green resident is concerned the new wheelie bin service in Wokingham is ‘dangerous’ to the vulnerable due to a lack of clear guidance on path obstructions.

Replacing the former bagged rubbish system, the new wheelie bin service launched on Monday, with 67,000 bins delivered to homes in preparation.

With it came information pages on Wokingham council’s website about collections and FAQs.

But eagle-eyed road safety campaigner Simon Chapman – who had been monitoring this site’s content since it was set up – spotted that its guidance was changed ‘last-minute’.

He said that ‘for months’, the website said that residents must not leave the wheelie bins in the street, as it will obstruct the path. But this instruction was ‘quietly removed’.

Simon noticed other changes – the Residents Round-up newsletter on August 9 only asked readers to ‘be considerate … and make sure you aren’t blocking anyone’s way.’

Meanwhile, the new waste collection leaflet delivered simply politely requested that residents not block the pavement.

He feels these two things – an edict instructing people not to block paths, and notes requesting that people merely avoid it – are fundamentally different.

There is no mention of fines or other consequences of causing an obstruction, he observed.

“Polite requests with no penalties don’t work,” he said. “It looks like householders are being given a licence to cause accidents and be a nuisance to vulnerable road users.”

His principal concern is this will make streets ‘a dangerous obstacle course’ for wheelchair users, visually impaired people, and those walking with sticks or crutches.

Government guidance states that a blind person using a cane or assistance dog needs a path of about 1.1m width, while someone with crutches or a walking frame needs a minimum of 0.9m.

“Why haven’t they told us to leave at least a metre of clear passage to enable these vulnerable footway users to pass safely?” said Simon.

“I have urged the council to do this but they aren’t responsive.”

The new bins are 52cm wide, which would mean a bin should not be left out on a path that is less than about 1.5m, Simon argues.

The waste collection regime change worsens the level of obstruction, he adds – previously, the bags were simply picked up and taken away.

Wheelie bins, by contrast are left out longer (WBC says to put them out the night before) and are then put back on the pavement by the bin collectors once emptied.

Simon noted this makes obstructions last for ‘much, much longer’ – perhaps as long as 24 hours in some cases.

Overall, he feels the situation has been handled badly by the council, with information removed and not replaced with anything clearer.

He described the council's changing the regime without making the new rules transparent as ‘amateurish and dangerous’.

Steve Brown, interim assistant director for environment and safety at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “We’ve responded directly to the one resident who has raised this question, and we’re completely confident that the new waste scheme will be safe in Wokingham Borough - as it is in every other part of the country where it has been introduced.

“About 85 per cent of English councils now use one or more wheeled bins, and in many cases have done so for over a decade, without any problems. Common sense will prevail here, again as it has everywhere else, and we don’t foresee any need for legal action.”