As a further PS to Hutton and Paxton ongoing recycling saga it is worth reporting a small article from the latest
Berwickshire NewsBad start to kerbside collections
KERBSIDE collections in Berwickshire got off to a less than perfect start when postcards telling residents when the collections would take place weren't sent out in time.
The postcards explained when individual collection days would be for general refuse, the lilac and clear recycling bags and the garden waste. They should have been sent out last Monday but didn't actually start being sent out until Thursday, March 23, consequently some residents did not receive the information before the new service went live on Monday, March 27, resulting in rubbish being put out on days when there was no collection or else it was not put out and the collection day was missed.
"Unfortunately we were not informed about the situation in time to avoid the inevitable confusion. We immediately put a contingency plan into operation to try to minimise the impact," said Julie Rankine, Scottish Borders Council's waste strategy implementation manager.
"The council would like to apologise to all Berwickshire residents for the delay in the issue of information about the start date of the new kerbside recycling service. Unfortunately the situation was beyond our control," she added.
"We hope that next week householders will put out their waste and their material for recycling on the new collection days and that we will be able to offer this new service in the way it was intended.
"If for any reason you have not received your postcard advising you of the days of your collections, please contact the Recycling Helpline on 01835 825128 and we will be able to advise you over the phone of your collections days."
30 March 2006
The postcards got through (mostly) to Hutton and only a few villagers dragged their bins out on Wednesday, which was our regular collection day since the year . only to have them unattended with Friday being our nominated day from now on-until a new year .
WE are all intrigued by the reference to the contingency plan. What happened when it was put into 'effect'? What was it? It may have been a (secret) call to support the one day strike last Tuesday-so even if you put your bin out as per post card or didn't because the post card had not arrived the difference would have been the same. And you would then blame the striking employees and not the High Heid Yins safely behind the barricades in Borders HQ within the Green Line of Newtown St Boswells (Twinned with Oldtown Baghdad) Any other contingency plans to the Hutton Think Tank (Emergency, Crisis and Conflict section) via the usual dead letter box please.
