'Milton Keynes will become a wheelie bin shanty town' says city dignitary who objects to four bins per household

A city Alderman has spoken out in protest to the council’s new wheelie bin scheme due to start this September.

Alderman Paul Bartlett, who served as an MK Tory councillor for many years, believes the four large bins per household will cause chaos on pavements.

"Hundreds of streets in Milton Keynes will be turned into a modern shanty town...It's like living in a communist state with Milton Keynes City Council imposing four huge plastic wheelie bins (yes plastic) on thousands of residents".

He added: “The environmental cost to the city will be huge with wheelie bins dominating neighbourhoods and causing hazards to all put those without X-ray eyes."

MK City Council says the new scheme will lead to a cleaner, greener city and increase our recycling rate by more than 8%, from the current 52% to over 60%. Many people are in favour of the scheme.

Each household will have a black-lidded bin for general rubbish, a red one for cardboard and paper and a blue bin for plastic, metal and glass. Green wheelie bins will still be used for garden and food waste.

The scheme was trialed in 2020 in selected areas, including New Bradwell and Wolverton. However, the Citizen can reveal that many of the homes in the trial will now NOT be using the bins.

Terraced houses that front the pavement with no rear access have been assessed as unsuitable and they will receive coloured sacks instead.

Council leader Pete Marland said today (Wednesday): “The council recognises that in places that in places such as Wolverton, Woburn Sands and Newport Pagnell, and after feedback from the trial in New Bradwell, wheelie bins are not suitable for every household.”

He added: "However, it is not a choice and the vast majority of properties across MK are able to both store and use the wheelie bins properly, as feedback from the trial in places as diverse as Astwood and Grange Farm shows.”

Meanwhile, Alderman Bartlett, who is also a Stony Stratford Town councillor, is worried that residents who leave their bins on the pavement instead of storing them in their gardens could face a fine of up to £1,000.

Households taking part in the trial were issued with a legal notice under the Environmental Protection Act stating they could be fined for leaving them outside.

Mr Bartlett said: "Not only are households being forced in all but exceptional circumstances to have four huge bins, they will be prosecuted by the council if they are left on footpaths.

"There are public safety issues and financial penalties for residents who through no choice of their own, are facing financial pain because the council is dictating what they do with their rubbish.

"It smacks of North Korea".

But the council leader says fines would be a very last resort. Anyone struggling to move their bins for reasons such as disability can apply for an assisted collection.

“As an administration we do understand change isn’t always easy and as with any new system I’m sure we will come across some problems,” he said.

"We will be keeping a close eye on the situation and will keep the levels at which households qualify for alternative or assisted collection under review as the new collection system becomes operational.”