New wheelie bin limits in Portsmouth: We asked residents what they think of the changes

THE roll-out of new wheelie bins is almost complete across the city.
We asked residents in Portsmouth what they make of new wheelie bin limitsWe asked residents in Portsmouth what they make of new wheelie bin limits
We asked residents in Portsmouth what they make of new wheelie bin limits

It is thought the limitation to one bin, or three bin bags, per household will significantly improve the rate of recycling in Portsmouth.

The black bins were first introduced earlier this year in different areas of Portsmouth as a part of a trial to see if residents could reduce the amount of waste left out for weekly collections.

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Capable of holding 140 litres, or roughly three bin bags' worth, the bins are now being provided to homes throughout the city in a roll-out that is expected to be completed by November.

However, some are unsure if the change will benefit all residents.

We spoke to residents of Gladys Avenue in North End who received the new bins this week.

John Roberts, 56, said: 'It is an improvement in terms of the foxes but the bin is a bit on the small side. There are four of us here so I'm not sure it will be enough. Another thing is I struggle to reach the bags at the bottom of the bin because it is very deep.

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'We already recycle a lot so this won't make a difference to that for us.'

His neighbour, David Rayner, 63, agreed. He said: 'I think it is better than having to put out black bags which can be prone to foxes. It does look quite small, but I am not sure because I haven't had it long enough to know yet.

'I think it will possibly encourage more people to recycle.'

Gwen Fieldhouse, added: 'They have been nice to have in the area, and it is nice to not see other people's rubbish.'

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Homeowners in the neighbouring street, Hartley Road, were given wheelie bins six months ago.

Paul Hanvey, 50, was able to have a larger bin. He said: 'The council knocked on the door when they were giving leaflets out. They explained that bigger bins could be available if needed so we got one because our daughter has special needs.

'It has been more than adequate in terms of size. If we did have the smaller one then we might struggle to fit everything in. But it seems to be a good system.'

His neighbour Darren Gray, 50, said: 'It has worked out very well for us, we quite like it. It keeps the foxes away and I believe it will encourage more recycling.

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'We've not had a problem with the size because we've always recycled as much as we can. I wasn't sure at first because we have three adults and a child here and one of the adults has special needs. We know we could have had a bigger bin but we didn't need it.

'If bin collections were reduced to every two weeks then it would be a problem.'

Lin McLaren, was more concerned about collections than the bin sizes. 'They work fine as long as they pick them up when they say they do,' she said.

 'If it was every two weeks for instance, we would have a problem.

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 'Although, we do not have anything for glass and we have to take it to the local supermarket which is a shame.'

Toni Tuckey, added: 'The children have recently left home, and now they are the perfect size.

'When they were at home however, they were much too small and we ended up over-filling.'