COUNCIL bosses have spoken out in response to a public outcry following last week's announcement of the bin collection shake-up.

Large families have been reassured they will be able to apply for a second grey bin and worries about health hazards and smells have also been addressed.

Cllr Susan Southworth, deputy cabinet member for the environment, said: “Understandably, there has been a lot of interest in these plans since they were made public and people have been voicing their concerns or support.

“One of the most asked questions has been from residents who have large families, wanting to know if they can apply for an extra grey bin. The answer is yes; we will continue to offer large families the chance to apply for a second grey bin if they can show they are recycling everything they can and still need extra grey bin space. For households with extra recycling we can also provide extra recycling bins.

“Another frequently raised topic was whether people would have enough space in their bins for their waste. Under the new system, the total weekly bin space that residents will have across all their bins will not change — across all four bins, the space will stay the same as it is now. It is also worth remembering that, not so many years ago, Bury residents had only one bin for all their household waste.

“A number of people have raised the question of increased smell from the bins. Any cooked or uncooked food waste should be placed in the brown bin, which is not affected by these changes. And there should be no hazard to health if, before going in the grey bin, disposable nappies are folded up, bagged and tied up and the same applies to any animal waste.

“Some people who have recently down-sized their grey bin to a 140-litre bin have asked if they can go back to a full-sized 240-litre bin. We would ask these residents to please give the new system a try for a couple of collections. If you recycle everything you can in your recycling bins you may well have enough space, but we will swap the bin for a larger one for any households that are unable to manage.

“We will be sending all households an information leaflet explaining the changes by the start of September followed by an information pack with advice on how to recycle more and put the right items in the right bin.

“We will also be visiting areas across the borough, talking to residents about recycling and helping to remove any barriers there may be to making recycling a normal part of daily life."

To help residents understand the changes under consideration, Bury Council has published a list of questions and answers on its website. Go to bury.gov.uk/collectionchanges-faqs