RECENT swelteringly hot weather has highlighted problems with East Hampshire District CouncilÕs alternate weekly rubbish collection system, it was claimed this week.
Liss Forest villager Angela Wright said she, like many other residents in the district, was concerned when the council introduced the new refuse collection system last year, and this yearÕs hot summer had shown that problems did exist.
She told members of East Hampshire District CouncilÕs central area community committee that refuse bins had been very smelly and many people had been forced to cope with maggots in their wheelie bins.
She asked councillors when the refuse collection system would be reviewed to establish what level of support there was from residents to continue with the system. She also asked how many other councils in Sussex and Hampshire were adopting the same system.
Portfolio holder for environmental contracts David Onslow told her it was most unlikely that the system would be abandoned in East Hampshire.
The meeting heard that East Hampshire residents were the best recyclers in the county and among the best in the country for their rates of recycling.
But Mr Onslow admitted councillors had been very disappointed to get a number of complaints about the system during the hot summer.
ÒIt was actually quite a small number,Ó he claimed, Òand most of us who double- wrapped food waste and were careful, coped with the hot spell.Ó
But he accepted that the hot weather had not been anticipated and householders should have been reminded earlier of the necessity to double-wrap some refuse.
Mr Onslow pointed out that a special panel met regularly to monitor the progress of the alternate weekly collection, but methods of coping in hot weather would be discussed rather than actually changing the system.
Peter Cooper, a resident of Ramscote, told Mr Onslow the maggot problem may have been much bigger than he believed as some people did not report the problem through embarrassment.
He said he himself had cleaned bins at Ramscote which had been infested with maggots, before they were emptied by refuse collectors.
Mrs Wright told councillors the smell issue was a big problem.
ÒSome people have to wheel their bins through their homes to put them out for the refuse collectors and to say that it is not an issue is not fair to them,Ó she said.