Residents locked in rubbish row after council rejects bags with wrong colour handle

Binbags have been left on the streets of Cornwall after refuse collectors stopped accepting ones with the wrong coloured handles, residents have claimed.

Cornwall council has been criticised over its new waste collection scheme as residents claim rubbish has not been collected in weeks.

It comes after a new design of seagull-proof bin bags was rolled out to residents across Cornwall who do not have the space to use a normal black bin.

The previous gull-proof bags, which had black handles, have been replaced with new ones, with white handles, which allow bin men to check that people are not exceeding the amount of rubbish they can put out each week.

Residents have been asked to place their old sacks into the new ones to be disposed of.

But some people have claimed they have not received the new bags so have been using the old sacks, which are not being collected under the new rules.

Many have condemned the council for wasting money and resources, calling out the irony that the scheme is supposed to enforce recycling and it is “only causing more waste”.

One resident, Julie Elworthy, 61, described the saga as “an absolute nightmare” and a “waste of taxpayers money”.

She said: “It took 12 telephone calls, nine emails, a chat with the county councillor, calls to Biffa and direct complaints.

“There has been no accountability – the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing.

“But last Wednesday was the last straw. I had to take our rubbish up to Saltash tip, 34 miles away. It was very time-consuming, but we couldn’t leave all the rubbish piling at the bottom of the lane.”

Other people took to social media to criticise the scheme and one even called for their council tax to be refunded

One online user said: “We don’t get a refuse collection, or bus service, or have any kids, or need social care.

“We very rarely see a policeman. Nor do we have any faith in Cornwall council or our MP.

“Can we have a refund of our council tax please?”

A council spokesman said: “Our new recycling and rubbish collection service is aimed at encouraging everyone to reduce their waste and increase their recycling.

“To help with this we are supplying all residential properties with a new and standardised 180-litre bin or sack, which we will collect from the kerbside every fortnight.

“All rubbish must fit into the new bin or sack which our crews can monitor to ensure that residents are not exceeding the amount of rubbish they can put out.

“It also ensures that every household has a bin or sack that is the correct size and in good working order.”