ASSURANCES of a trouble-free switch to a wheelie bin system have been condemned as 'ludicrous' by an Addingham-based councillor.

Coun David Harrison (Con, Craven) is furious with the generalised nature of Bradford Council's plan to adopt the wheelie bin scheme across the district.

"People seemed quite happy with the present system. If it ain't broke so why fix it," he said.

"It is an awful idea for 90 per cent of people. We have Victorian houses with steps and long drives. If I were to put it out at my house there is nowhere for it to go apart from the pavement where it would cause an obstruction," he said.

Coun Harrison's comments come as Bradford Council tries to ease elderly people's fears about such a scheme.

The council has said people who feel they will struggle with the new bins will be offered smaller wheeled bins or be allowed to retain their traditional bins.

However, the chairman of Bradford Council's waste management committee, Coun Keith Thomson (Lab, Wibsey) has a stark message for householders. "You're very good at producing waste but there comes a time when we will have to find room to bury it all."

Coun Thomson said people had been quick to condemn the council's switch to wheelie bins, claiming it was all to 'save money'.

However, Coun Thomson said the council had a duty, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, to reduce landfill waste and increase the percentage of recycled waste.

"Burying waste in landfill sites is very expensive. It also leads to a build up of methane gas which is a very serious greenhouse gas.

"What we want people to do is to recycle their organic waste on their gardens if they have one," he said.

Coun Thomson said it was possible to recycle about 80 per cent of household waste, and recycling was far more appealing than the future prospect of a landfill site on someone's doorstep - and the prospect of having to pay for more sites through the Council Tax.

He revealed the district's households would be provided with a separate box or tray for recycling newspapers, plastic bottles and cans - material which the Council would collect.

"We are not asking very much, just for people to take some responsibility for their own household," he said.

He said the new system would lead to less rubbish being spilled on to the streets from split bin liners and rubbish spread by scavaging animals.

"I know there are people who have objected and there are people who won't be able to use the system.

"We have said we will look at those cases. You don't let the difficult bits spoil the system," he said. Coun Steve Thomas (Lab, Keighley South), chairman of the council's housing and environmental protection committee, has said fears about the use of wheelie bins in areas with steep drives and steps are 'unfounded' and all properties would be surveyed before the scheme is introduced.

Coun Harrison is not convinced by this statement. "If people's fears are unfounded I would like councillor Thomas to come and have a look at Ilkley and Addingham to see if what he says is right," he said.

Coun Thomas said: "The bins can be wheeled up and down steps and even when full it is quite easy to do. Bins cannot roll away on slopes."

Coun Harrison is unhappy that residents are paying for their rubbish to be collected but are now being asked to move the bins themselves.

"I have spoken to a number of people who are unhappy about the prospect of wheelie bins but there is also a lot of apathy. People will only start to make a noise when the system is introduced," he said.

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