The roll out of wheelie bins is just one way the Council is tackling rats, as residents will no longer use plastic sacks that can split easily, with the spillage attracting vermin.
When the Council’s waste contract comes to an end in 2023, households will make the switch from plastic sacks to wheelie bins in a bid to make the city cleaner, greener, and safer.
Alongside their already-existing green bins which will be collected weekly, residents will soon use:
Grey wheeled bins for residual waste which will continue to be collected weekly
Blue-lidded wheeled bins for plastic, metal, and glass which will be collected bi-weekly
Red-lidded wheeled bins for paper and card which will be collected bi-weekly
Labour Councillor Lauren Townsend, Cabinet Member for Public Realm, said: “Wheelie bins will be hugely beneficial to Milton Keynes and residents are overwhelmingly in support of them following the consultation and trial - four out of five households said they wanted to make the switch.”
“It is important that residents know they will have their smelly waste, such as residual, food and garden waste, collected weekly and there’ll be a recycling collection every single week. Weekly collections are here to stay.”
As well as the wheelie bins, the Labour/Liberal Democrat-ran Council has also installed 75 dual bins and 20 smart bins throughout the city, and new litter wardens have been taking a zero-tolerance approach to offenders.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Kerrie Bradburn campaigned for wheelie bins to be trialled in Milton Keynes: “There are many upsides to wheelie bins, but a key one is that they will help us to tackle rats and other pests. The current plastic sacks can easily tear, and be ripped open by animals, and the waste then attracts pests.”
“Wheelie bins will help us achieve a Milton Keynes that is clean, green and safe.”