North Yorkshire Council has responded to criticism of its new system for street litter bins.

Some 1,500 smaller litter bins in the Harrogate area are being replaced by a smaller number of new larger bins.

Many of the new bins are situated alongside main roads rather on dog walking routes to make them easier for council workers to get to.

Some dog owners are dumping poo bags in areas where the old bins were rather than walk to main roads and put their dogs on leads.

Dog waste piling up in Jennyfields.

The Stray Ferret has recently reported concerns about this policy in Knox and Jennyfields.

Barrie Mason, assistant director for the environment at the council, said the old bins were removed following a service review and the new approach conformed with good practice guidance from the Waste and Recycling Action Partnership charity.

He said:

“We are currently implementing a new infrastructure for our street litter bins in the Harrogate area.

“The newer bins have a larger capacity and house a wheeled bin. This means they are efficiently emptied by our larger wagons, reducing the risk from manual handling individual bags.

“With the greater capacity, fewer bins are required which helps to reduce street furniture, particularly in locations where two bins may have been placed close together.”

Dog waste ‘no longer classified as hazardous’

Mr Mason added:

“We are implementing new routes which reduce the number of vehicle miles and emissions while freeing up our street cleansing teams to provide a more proactive service, including in our urban areas.

“There are some associated savings from the project, from a reduction in the amount of skips, single use plastic liners and fuel we use.

“Dog waste is no longer classified as hazardous waste and can now be placed in any bin, eliminating the need for specialist bins that further reduce street clutter and manual handling risks. This also means dog waste can be placed in owners’ general waste bins when they return home without adjusting walking routes.”

Read more:

• Call for urgent review of new bins after dog poo bags litter Jennyfields
• Council’s new dog poo policy causes a stink in Knox

Mr Mason said bins “are emptied less frequently” in off-road areas in places like Jennyfields “but will be emptied as frequently as required”. He added:

“The emptying frequencies and bin locations are something we’ll be continuing to monitor.

“The work in Jennyfields is still ongoing, and officers are communicating with the relevant local councillor over the new locations and any issues that may arise.

“Harrogate leisure centre has a large open space with a basketball court, so we will be installing a bin soon.”

A councillor has called for an urgent review of litter bins in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate after reports of dog poo bags piling up.

North Yorkshire Council has removed three bins close to Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre — formerly the Hydro — and replaced them with two larger bins.

The old bins were situated in areas used by walkers and dog owners but the new ones are alongside main roads.

This makes them easier to empty but less convenient for people using the fields around the leisure centre to use.

Consequently litter and dog waste bags are being left to pile up.

Councillor Michael Harrison, a Conservative who represents the area on North Yorkshire Council, said the new bins were designed for dog waste and general waste and are emptied by household waste collection crews rather than requiring a separate collection.

He added:

“These have been successfully rolled out in the other villages I represent after some initial teething problems.

“I am however aware of the specific concerns raised in Jennyfields and have asked for an urgent review of the number and siting of the bins.”

Dog owners are discarding dog waste where the bins used to be on the fields rather than carry it to Ripon Road.

Jennyfields residents have contacted the Stray Ferret with their concerns since the new bins arrived last week.

Elizabeth Horner said:

“I live near the Hydro fields and the amount of rubbish from having no bins in area has got disgusting.

“Sadly I’ve counted 15 bottles on the field today.”

Dog walker Diana Salama added:

“I have spoken to seven other dog walkers who regularly walk their dogs at the Hydro. All were puzzled and confused as there is nowhere to easily dispose of poo.

“One lady commented that to go up to the main road meant a long detour and putting the dog on a lead and she would not do this.

“Two were confused and had ended up taking poo home but had no intention of doing this ongoing. Two had left poo bags where the bin used to be.”

Read more:

• Council’s new dog poo policy causes a stink in Knox
• Royal Mail massively reduces opening times at Harrogate delivery office

She added:

“No one felt the new concept was effective for dog walkers even though it’s clearly better for the council.”

Ms Salama said there was particular anger at the removal of the bin next to the basketball court.

The field near the basketball court.

The Stray Ferret spoke to several dog walkers in the area this morning who agreed. They said the amount of litter and dog waste in this area, where young people congregate, was worrying.

We asked North Yorkshire Council why the change had been made and whether any consultation had been carried out.

However, a spokesperson said the officer responsible was currently on leave and therefore it could not comment.

New bins being rolled out across Harrogate district

The new bin policy is being rolled out across the Harrogate district. About 250 small bins are being replaced by larger ones.

Dog walkers in nearby Knox expressed concerns in June when the change was implemented there.

Maxie Schiffman-Rowinski has complained to the council about the new dog waste bin in front of her house in Knox.

Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on the council, said the situation would be reviewed at the end of next month.

Cllr Haslam said the new approach freed up time for the street cleansing team to do other jobs, such as sweep streets.

He added it was also more environmentally friendly because the larger bins contained wheelie bins that could be emptied by machines whereas the smaller old bins contained plastic bags that had to be replaced regularly.

People living in the Harrogate district have complained about an increase in dog owners leaving poo bags tied to trees, dumped in bushes or even thrown into private gardens.

Lockdown has led to a puppy boom, with many buying a new four-legged family friend.

However, many people told the Stray Ferret they were fed-up seeing discarded poo bags in our most scenic locations, such as the Pinewoods and Stainburn Forest and were appalled by the “lazy” and “disgusting” behaviour of some dog owners.

Mark Hanford said bags were everywhere:

“The dog poo bag pandemic has been raging for years, it’s an absolute disgrace — it’s everywhere! Crab Lane and St. John’s area is really bad for it!”

“We have a real problem in our lovely village. The majority of the village are disgusted. How do we shame the perpetrators? Or shame Harrogate Borough Council to clear up the mess the overdevelopment of our village has caused?”