'I've 'bin' waiting for weeks to recycle

12:00pm Monday 1st December 2008

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RECYCLING plastic, glass and paper is not a new concept for Dawn Haine.

But she found she had to recycle her complaints to Warrington Borough Council after being left without a new blue bin for more than five weeks.

The human resources consultant said: “We have recycled for some time. The fact they were going to start taking more stuff was great for us because it meant we did not have to do a weekly run to the recycling centre.”

But the 35-year-old, of The Coppings, Orford, has ended up without the service since it came into operation because she was the only person in her street not to get a recycling bin.

She said: “When the blue bins initially rolled out everybody else on our street got one but us. We thought it had been pinched and we rang the council and were told within a couple of weeks time we would have one.”

But, despite not getting the bin, she was still given her information pack informing her about how to use the non-existent bin.

After waiting more than two weeks she contacted the council again and, again, was told it would arrive in a week or two.

Another fortnight passed and still no blue bin had arrived.

So Mrs Haine took more action: “I sent in an e-mail to the council to inquire about where our blue bin was and never got a reply.”

Following another e-mail, Mrs Haine finally received her new bin last Thursday, but has still not recieved any acknowledgement of two e-mails she sent to the council.

“We have missed two recycling rounds, so we have had to do our own by putting it in bowls and taking it to the recycling centre,” she added.

Mrs Haine can now recycle like everybody else but she is unhappy with way the council has treated her.

“I think it’s bad no one acknowledged my e-mail,” she said.

“We have still not heard anything.”

Paula Darlington, head of environmental management at the council said: “Since September we have delivered new blue recycling bins to over 82,000 properties in Warrington, while collecting the old paper bins in at the same time.

“Unfortunately, our supplier suffered from some shipping delays which in turn caused some of our deliveries to be delayed.

“We are working hard to deliver the final few outstanding bins and would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents.”