Response to media reports of 'rattle test'

Residents may have seen recent reports both in the local and national media about proposals for the bin men to use a 'rattle test' to determine whether the correct waste was being placed in the correct bins.

The District Council would like to state that this was not a serious suggestion.

During an Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting at the District Council, Cllr Ian Shenton, Operations Portfolio, was quizzed on how the new green bin charges would be enforced after some members of the public suggested they would just place their green waste in their black bins to avoid the charge.

Cllr Shenton suggested that the District Council would have to get tough on such actions, before suggesting one measure would involve bin men rattling the bins to determine whether the correct waste was being put inside.

However, it must be made clear that Cllr Shenton's suggestion was made during a light-hearted discussion and was not meant seriously.

Cllr Ian Shenton said: "I spoke about rattling the bins just to illustrate a point that there are simple solutions available to monitor the bins, it was not meant as an actual suggestion, I mentioned it during a light-hearted discussion and I'm sorry for this. Measures we are probably going to be looking at are using camera technology in the cabs of collection vehicles and things like that - not a 'rattle test'."