Monitoring of Town Council-Maintained Bins in Hailsham

In response to a recent article published, concerning overflowing dog waste bins in Hailsham, the Town Council wishes to clarify that it does not maintain any dog bins in the town, having recently replaced all such bins with dual-purpose ones – on Town Council-maintained land and which can be used for both general litter and dog-waste.

The Town Council does not maintain any bins which are not on Town Council land or property and Environment Wardens employed by the Town Council always ensure that their newly installed dual-purpose bins are monitored on a daily basis and emptied as frequently as possible.

The decision to remove the dog-waste bins was part of the Town Council’s aim to improve the effectiveness of individual bins through a program of removal and replacement, as well as a significant cost-cutting exercise.

The Town Council has no legal duty to provide litter and dog-waste bins but it does have a duty to keep Council owned land clear of litter and refuse as far as practicable.

“We are pleased to have completed the dual-purpose bin installation project, going a considerable way in terms of improving our efficiencies and rationalising our litter/waste collection expenditure,” said Deputy Town Clerk & Business Enterprise Manager, Mickey Caira. “The cost of servicing and maintaining the dog-waste bins, combined with the marked increase in costs for waste disposal over the years had led us to reach the decision to remove all designated dog bins under our management and replace them where necessary with dual-use bins suitable for both dog waste and general litter.”

 “Clearing up after your dog helps to prevent the spread of diseases that can affect not only dogs, but people too. Furthermore, it keeps our parks, play areas and public open spaces clean for other visitors. Again, residents are encouraged to use them to put both their dog waste and general litter in. Please note that dog waste can also be discarded in your domestic waste bin should residents take the dog waste home with them.”

“All in all, the removal of the existing dog-waste bins and replacement with dual use ones will significantly reduce the overall cost to the Town Council and ratepayer to dispose of the waste.”

The Town Council will continually monitor the usage of bins to determine their viability. Any bin not being used or used only infrequently may be removed in the future.