Thirty bins stolen, lost or damaged beyond repair EVERY DAY in Wigan

The borough council said today that it has had to fork out almost a third of a million pounds in the last 12 months to replace the best part of 11,000 vanished or ruined bins.

But some of the onus in future will be on residents as from now on they have to stump up Â£35 if they want a substitute black one for non-recylables.

And in a bid to prevent further costly outlay, residents were today urged to number their bins and bring them in as soon as possible after collection.

As part of the council’s changes to bin collections, last year it was agreed that the Â£35 charge would be introduced for lost black wheelies to help the authority save money and to encourage residents to look after them better.

The town hall has not kept a record of the most common reasons offered when replacements are requested but it is assumed that most are pinched, some are maliciously or accidentally set on fire and some are taken with residents when they move house!

The charge covers the administrative and delivery costs the council pays when providing a replacement container.

Many councils, including those in Greater Manchester, already charge for replacements.

Paul Barton, director for environment, said: “The cost of the replacement of lost bins is significant and unfortunately the costs will increase even further if we do not take immediate action.

“This was a difficult decision for the council to take and we hope residents will understand and support us by ensuring their bins are returned promptly to their property after collection and are then left in a secure place.

“The majority of our residents do look after their bins and we would like to thank them for their continuing support.”

It cost Wigan Council Â£60,000 to replace black bins last year.

More information along with our frequently asked questions can be found on the council’s website: www.wigan.gov.uk/recycling