Ugly new recycling bins are turning attractive residential streets into eyesores according to angry residents.

Ann Clark, of Talisman Way in Banstead, contacted the Epsom Guardian to complain that she and her neighbours now have five bins for different types of waste outside their homes.

Reigate and Banstead Council is rolling out a new refuse collection service this summer for households with individual wheeled refuse bins.

Homes in the borough already have one bin for refuse and one for paper and cardboard recycling, but another three bins arrived were delivered to homes in the street last Thursday - two for food waste and one for mixed recycling. 

The food waste, and paper and cardboard recycling will be collected weekly, with the refuse and mixed recycling to be collected every other week.

Mrs Clark said she telephoned the council asking them not to deliver any more "unsightly and unnecessary bins" and that many of her neighbours had done the same.

She said: "Just as the Olympics start and we are hosting all these countries, the front of our houses are littered with all these bins. 

"They look awful and are such an eyesore. 

"It seems that our green and pleasant land is to be blighted yet again by an unsightly attempt to have taxpayers do the council's job for them without any realistic understanding of the lack of storage space in which to keep these ugly bins from sight.

"Everybody is absolutely up in arms about it.

"It should be the job of the council to separate different types of rubbish at the dump." 

But a council spokeswoman said it is responding to resident demand for more bins.

She said: "The council is responding to demand and reducing pressure on future council tax rates through the income the new service will generate.

"Residents have a responsibility to manage their waste - we are providing this new service which will help them do this in a way which reduces the environmental and financial impact of their waste."

She added: "Residents calling the council about the new service are overwhelmingly positive about the opportunities to recycle more of their rubbish.

"We appreciate there will be a small number of places where storage may be a genuine concern and in these situations we ask people to contact us to discuss options."


What do you think of the new bins? Leave a comment below or email Hardeep Matharu on hmatharu@london.newsquest.co.uk