A Tenby councillor has questioned the ‘logic’ of the local authority, in taking away public bins for the seaside town.
At this month's (February 8) meeting of the town council, correspondence came before members highlighting the matter, with one local resident realising whilst out walking their new pet pooch, that a bin placed at the entrance of the train station car park (on Warren Street) had now been taken away by Pembrokeshire County Council.
“Imagine my dismay and absolute horror to find that the waste bin positioned at the entrance to the Railway Station car park has been removed? Why? Where am I supposed to drop filled doggie poop bags now?” asked the resident in their letter to town councillors.
“I understand from some of the locals and other dog walkers that the bin has been removed for some time by PCC due to people depositing household rubbish in the bin? God forbid!
“It's probably tourists and holiday makers or second home owners who don't understand the foibles of the PCC refuse collection system!
“It also appears and please be aware that despite the lack of the waste bin, plastic bags and sacks of household rubbish including uneaten food are still being left by the station entrance, despite the lack of a bin. The seagulls when they return to breed will have a whale of a time opening the bags and pulling the rubbish all over the road. What a wonderful sight for visitors coming off the train to witness?
“I’ve also been told that rats have been spotted running across the station car park, no doubt encouraged by rotting, uneaten food. In itself a health hazard.
“Can I ask, therefore, via the mechanics of a Tenby Town Council meeting, that the issue of the provision of rubbish bins not just at the station car park but across all of Tenby to be discussed and appropriate lamentations be urgently made to our masters in Haverfordwest? Tenby the ‘Jewel in the Pembrokeshire Crown?’ - I think no longer,” they added.
Indeed, the problem bin was highlighted by a local back during the summer, with the resident stating in correspondence to the Observer: “For two mornings in a row now, seagulls have ripped apart bin bags with food waste in that have been left by the side of the bin by holiday makers or possibly residents.
“Maybe it’s time to introduce fines or remove the bin?” they suggested, and it would seem that’s exactly what has been done on this occasion by PCC, with a similar scenario arising a few years ago with another ‘problem bin’ being removed from St Georges Street, that was situated in between Joys and Pipers Fish and Chips shop, near to the Five Arches.
Discussing the matter dubbed ‘Bin-gate’ by Cllr Duncan Whitehurst, councillors were in agreement that taking away more and more public bins, was not the solution.
“The idea that if a bin is ‘overused’ they take it away, when really they should be placing two in that location! I’d like someone at PCC to explain the logic in that,” commented Cllr Whitehurst.
The town clerk Andrew Davies said that it seemed that more and more domestic rubbish was being placed in such bins, giving another example of one that had been taken away from The Glebe after someone kept filling it with cat litter.
“It is an offence to put domestic rubbish in public bins,” Mr Davies told councillors.
Cllr Laurence Blackhall said that the matter needed to be seriously addressed, and even though it might inflame people, a lot of the blame for public bins being abused he believed, lay at the doors of holiday lets, he told his fellow members.
“I know of such properties that advise people to do it. Why should the public pay for it? If you look at the prices some of these holiday lets charge, it is nothing short of greed. They should have a proper waste management agreement in place!” remarked Cllr Blackhall.
Cllr Charles Dale said that yet again it was the residents of Tenby that were being punished, as the county council only seemed to take away the bins in the winter, and put them back in place over the summer when it is tourist season.
Back in October, Tenby’s Mayor and county councillor for the south ward Cllr Sam Skyrme-Blackhall even wrote to letting agencies in the seaside town to urge them to make sure that they had proper arrangements for the collection of waste from their properties at the end of each letting period, after town councillors had once again heard reports of overflowing street bins being used for household waste and black bags being dumped near to bins.
Cllr Skyrme-Blackhall suggested inviting PCC’s environmental services operations manager Neil McCarthy to a future meeting, to discuss councillors’ concerns.