WASTE COLLECTION

Derby householders will be able to use a free service starting 9 November to get rid of bulky domestic and garden rubbish. Derby City Council will collect items that are too big for wheeled bins from a different area of the city each Saturday between 8am and 10am. The entire city will be covered once a year, starting this week in Normanton, Pear Tree and Rosehill. Leaflets are delivered to residents in advance asking them to have items ready.

The service will cost the Council £55,000 a year. Householders can still pay for bulky items to be collected at other times. This service costs from £9.50 and collections are made within two weeks. Councillor Ashok Kalia, Cabinet Member for Environment and Direct Services, said, "I hope this free service will help to reduce fly-tipping in Derby. I encourage everyone to look out for the leaflets telling them when it is coming to their area and make good use of the service."

In early March I received a leaflet from the Derby City Council announcing the start of a free Saturday morning collection of household and garden rubbish to begin on March 22. On Friday, April 4, I phoned the number on the leaflet to arrange for a collection on Saturday. I was very surprised to be told that the service was no longer operating and that in around a month I would receive another leaflet which would explain the situation.

The lady I spoke to emphasised that I should not assume that the next leaflet would contain details of a new service but just an explanation of why the service was no longer operating. Does anyone know what is happening and how much money the council has wasted on printing and distributing leaflets for a service that lasted for only one week? Anon

Carol Mee, Derby City Council spokeswoman replied:

"Our free bulky household rubbish collection service, which started in November visits a different area each Saturday. The service has funding for one year, at a cost of £55,000 including the £11,000 cost of the leaflets necessary to publicise the scheme. The council is not planning to issue a different leaflet saying the service will cease, but is continuing to print further batches of the publicity leaflet as the service moves across the city. This means we can alter the wording for future batches, clarifying that the service is only visiting a particular area each Saturday. We will do this and it will not cost any extra money. Householders who don't make use of this service when it is in their area can still pay for bulky items to be collected at other times."