A resident of Wideopen has expressed anger after CCTV footage captured a North Tyneside Council waste collector dropping dog poo bags from a wheelie bin and leaving them on the road. Bryan Bennett, 57, reported the incident to the council after reviewing the footage from Tuesday, June 23, at around 11:43 am.
Footage shows binman ignore fallen waste
In the video, the binman initially drops the green bin onto the road, causing two bags of dog poo to fall out. Despite taking the bin to the truck for emptying and returning it past the fallen items, he makes no attempt to pick up the waste and proceeds to the next property. Bennett said he was 'shocked' when he saw the footage and reported it immediately to the council.
Bennett told ChronicleLive: 'I reported it straight to the council when I saw what had been left behind, and I was just shocked to see it to be honest. There are kids who walk to school through this street, so dog poo shouldn't just be left on the road. It feels like there isn't enough care taken in these situations, and that's why things can be left like this. This sort of thing can cause health issues, and it makes the place dirtier when we are doing our best to keep the place where we are living clean and tidy.'
Former binman criticizes lack of care
Bennett, who worked as a binman in the 1980s, added: 'I previously worked as a bin man when I was younger, in the 1980s, and we used to go around and make sure that any rubbish left would end up in our truck. I hope that the council will make sure that their staff do their bit to look after where we are living, as things will be better for everyone.'
Council response: 'genuine oversight'
North Tyneside Council reviewed the footage and issued a statement: 'Having reviewed the footage, it appears to show a single small item falling from a household waste bin during collection. It is not clear whether our crew member was aware of this at the time, but our teams will usually pick up any small items they notice or report larger spillages to our street cleansing colleagues. This appears to have been a genuine oversight.'
The council added: 'Our waste collection crews provide an essential service to thousands of households every week and work hard in all weather conditions, and to demanding schedules, to help keep our streets and communities clean.'
