A campaign has been launched to block changes to rubbish bin collections in Braintree.

Residents fear if fortnightly collections are introduced, it will pose a health hazard with rotting rubbish hanging around attracting rats and flies.

Resident Carol Hadley is organising a petition against Braintree Council's move from weekly, black bag rubbish collection to an alternate week system.

The changes are an extension of the Witham scheme, and will affect homes in Braintree and surrounding parishes from this autumn.

Under the present scheme, there is a weekly collection of refuse in black sacks, one bag of garden waste collected a week and fortnightly collections of recycling items, in bags.

This will be replaced by a recycling week: for recyclable items in bags and garden waste in wheeled bins. It is followed by a refuse week, collecting material that cannot be recycled or composted, in a wheeled bin.

Mrs Hadley, of De-Marci Court, fears it will create problems during the summer months with rubbish, such as kitchen waste including meat scraps, rotting as it waits for collection.

She has started a petition for people in her road and said she hopes to get the council to continue weekly collections.

Ian Haines, Braintree Council's environmental policy officer, said: "The council is satisfied that there is no public health hazard and that the reason we are satisfied is the material will be securely catered for in wheeled bins."

Published Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Brought to you by the Evening Gazette