North Tyneside Council has apologised after some households received food waste caddies despite opting out of the service. The council has received 131 requests to remove the unwanted caddies since late July, ahead of the phased collection service starting next week.
Opt-out figures
According to council figures, 3,338 households opted out of phase one, out of a total of 10,016. The council says it has delivered caddies to more than 32,000 households as part of the first phase.
Coun John Johnsson, leader of the North Tyneside Conservative group, said: “What initially appeared to be an issue affecting residents in Preston Grange now seems to be more widespread. Since raising it, we’ve received reports from residents elsewhere in North Tyneside, including Wallsend and the Dudley and Annitsford area, saying caddies have been delivered despite households opting out.
“Clearly, these are individual reports, and the council should establish exactly what has happened, but the number of people coming forward raises legitimate questions about whether the opt-out information was properly reflected in the delivery process.”
Council response
A spokesperson for North Tyneside Council said: “We’ve delivered caddies to more than 32,000 households as part of the first phase of our food waste collection service. This has been a major operation and, given the number of deliveries involved, a small number of caddies have been delivered in error.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. Residents can keep the caddy in case they decide to use the service in future, return it to a Community Hub, leisure centre, or library, or call 0345 2000 103 to arrange collection.”
The council has reassured residents that there is no cost implication for sending out unwanted caddies and that there are enough bins for every household. Collections for unwanted caddies are already underway.
