One of the people I most appreciate visiting my house each week is the binman. The collection of waste and rubbish is one of the most important duties of the local council and one of its biggest contributions to public health and the attractiveness of our environment.

Stockport Council is presently planning ambitious changes to its collection of refuse and materials for recycling with the introduction of a four wheelie bin system, starting in the spring of 2009, to be completed by spring 2010. The additional bins will not be forced upon households which have no space for them and special arrangements will be made for flats and homes which are difficult to reach. Large families (of six and more people) will be able to ask for extra bins. The exact timetable depends on the availability of the bins at a time of high worldwide demand and the completion of the Waste Disposal facilities. Recently, the Labour Government issued guidance to councils, allowing them to impose fixed penalty fines of between £75 and £110 on people for overfilling their bins. Labour love to fine! Not long ago there was a case of a bus driver from Whitehaven, Cumbria who received a fine and a criminal record for putting out his bin with its lid ajar by four inches. Having refused to pay an on- the- spot fine of £110, he was ultimately fined £210, the equivalent of one week’s wages. What a ridiculous situation! An invitation to fly-tip! If he had been caught  fly-tipping, he would only have received an £80 fine and the council would have had to pay for the removal of the rubbish. This Government has passed thousands of new laws and has turned otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals because they are soft targets. Hard-core criminals often escape scot-free. Fortunately, Stockport is to adopt a much more common sense approach. I recently questioned our Executive Councillor for the Environment about the fining of people whose bin lids were not properly closed. He assured me that he did not intend to adopt a punitive policy. His approach is to be much more sensible and persuasive. I hope every householder will co-operate with the new system when it arrives. Next time you see the binman coming to your house, greet him  and thank him for the valuable service which he provides for you and the people of Stockport.

Cllr Anthony O'Neill
Heatons North

This article, by Cllr Anthony O'Neill, was first published by the Stockport Express 27/08/08.