Shropshire Council reveals plans to replace missing bins

The bins vanished over time and had not been replaced in many locations until recently.

Councillor David Vasmer, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for Highways and Waste at Shropshire Council, began investigating after taking on his new portfolio and traced the issue back to a decision made under the previous Conservative administration, which ran the council until last May.

Councillor Vasmer said: "Under the Conservatives, the council was just handing over money to contractors with no idea of how many bins Shropshire Council were responsible for, where they were or how often they were being emptied.

"It was only when I was discussing the new digital monitoring system with council officers that I discovered their Conservative bosses had instructed them not to replace old or damaged bins, without telling anyone, which explains why they seemed to be disappearing."

The now-reversed policy had left many streets without bins, leading to complaints from residents across the county.

The current Liberal Democrat administration has announced plans to replace missing and damaged bins.

A budget is being set up, and new bins are already on order.

Overflowing bins

Councillor Vasmer said the council is also tackling the ongoing problem of overflowing bins, which has been caused by inefficient routes, contractor issues, and delays in introducing new vehicles.

He said: "I’m very concerned about the problem with overflowing bins that we’re currently facing in some areas and I’m determined to fix this.

"A number of improvements are being introduced that should allow collections to be doubled at locations that need them. This should make a big difference."

Digital monitoring and smart bins

Measures being introduced include a digital monitoring system, more efficient collection rounds, a new side-loader vehicle, and the rollout of solar-powered smart bins.

The council is in the process of logging every public bin in the county and monitoring when each one is emptied.

Crews will also record the condition of bins to support a replacement programme.

Meanwhile, 20 new solar smart-bins are being purchased for laybys and remote areas.

These compact and crush rubbish and can hold five to eight times more waste than standard bins.

They feature sensors that alert staff when they reach 75 per cent capacity.

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A new side-loader vehicle will also help speed up collections.

Councillor Vasmer said: "The improvements the Lib Dems are introducing will mean the council can double collection frequencies at over 900 public bins, helping to ensure bins are emptied before they start overflowing.

"We’ll end up with a much better service that costs less money."