Dozens waiting for help with bins

Elly and Mike Maynard are anxious about how to get their bins to the roadside. Photo: John Borren.

A Welcome Bay couple with mobility issues are unable to get their new council issued rubbish bins up and down their steep driveway, but they're still waiting for the assisted service they've been promised.

Mike and Elly Maynard are one couple out of around 40 households still waiting for their application to be processed, despite Tauranga City Council's rate funded waste collection service starting last week.

The assisted service council are offering provides someone to take the bins from a household for emptying, then return them on collection day.

Elly put in her application seven weeks ago and says the lack of service has caused undue stress to her and Mike.

The pair were able to get a neighbour to help with their bin last week. They were hoping to have the service organised for this week's collection, but it hasn't happened.

'You don't know what to do if you can't get help and it's also an affront to elderly and disabled people to be treated like this,” says Elly.

Applicants require sign off from a GP to prove they're unable to move the bins and that there is no one else living at the property or employed on their behalf that could do so.

Once applications have been received, contractor EnviroWaste and a council staff member will visit the property to ensure it is serviceable and work with the resident on how pick up will work, says sustainability and waste manager Sam Fellows.

'All of this can take time,” says Sam. 'We appreciate that some members of our community are waiting for the assisted service and our team are doing their best to process applications as quickly as possible.”

He says to date, they have received around 300 assisted service requests and confirmed 260 of these.

'We encourage those who have made applications in the last couple of weeks and are waiting for the assisted service to approach a neighbour, carer or family member for short-term support,” says Sam.

'Alternatively, those who produce less waste can continue to use their bins as they should only miss one collection cycle.

”The assisted service is currently operational, and we'll continue to receive applications going forward,” he says.

Elly says: 'A seven week wait is just ridiculous. They've dropped the ball on this one, big time.”

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