Birkdale’s Lee Durkin talking trash with residents.

Households in Southport have three bins currently which are Green, Grey and Brown with a Blue bin due in the future as part of the councils aims to reduce Their Carbon footprint. The announcement of the additional blue bin was met with anger from many residents when the topic was first brought up in local media. 

Mr Durkin said “I have been talking with residents around Birkdale. One of the topics is would residents be happy to pay for green bin collections?  as you would imagine the answer has never been yes, although if forced by the council many would have to pay the bin tax, as their garden is a place to relax and in some cases a work of art. With the council now allowing housing developments on green spaces such as Bankfield lane and near Broome Road, having a garden is becoming a lifeline for residents mental health”.

Mr Durkin Continued “conversation often turns to not knowing what goes in each bin such as which plastics or which cardboard can be put in each bin. The residents would like to help the council recycle more effectively to meet its aims, but it seems clear the council need to do more to help.

I have contacted Sefton council to ask could the new orange refuse wagons have graphics on the sides that clearly show which item can go in which bin.

In January Sefton Green party spoke out saying “the council are failing on climate action”. This simple step of displaying items for each bin on the side of refuse wagons may seem a small step for climate action but it is a giant leap for helping residents recycle more.