A RESIDENT of a black-bin, bag-littered estate has branded St Albans District Council s new twin-bin rubbish-collection system an absolute shambles . Zoe Mardel, of Norris Close, London Colney, said that residents had not had time to get used to the new

A RESIDENT of a black-bin, bag-littered estate has branded St Albans District Council's new twin-bin rubbish-collection system "an absolute shambles".

Zoe Mardel, of Norris Close, London Colney, said that residents had not had time to get used to the new system and as a result black sacks had been dumped everywhere last week with the council's contractors refusing to collect them.

She said the problems had arisen because although residents had been told they could fit five bags into the new black bins, in fact they would barely take three so people had to leave them on top or alongside the rigid bin.

Zoe said: "I am eight-and-a-half-months pregnant and can't lift black sacks into the car and take them to the tip and my friend has a family of eight and the bins just aren't big enough. It is an absolute shambles because we haven't had time to address the new system."

The new twin bin system was introduced in the district last month with most residents having received a green bin for recyclable waste and a black bin for everything which can't be recycled. Some are remaining on black refuse sacks.

A calendar has been issued explaining which bin is collected on what week and the council hopes that it will eventually lead to a 50 per cent recycling rate or better.

A spokesperson for the council said that waste management officers had been to Norris Close after complaints and all the waste had been cleared on this occasion.

But she stressed that the council would not continue to do so if the cause of excess black bags was that waste was not being recycled either at all or not being divided correctly in the boxes and green wheeled bin provided.

The spokesperson went on: "It should be possible for all the household's waste to be placed inside the black wheeled bins, provided all recyclable items are put in the relevant recycling boxes or green wheeled bins and not in the black wheeled bins, the contents of which go to landfill.

She pointed out that there should be adequate space in the 240-litre black bin for all a household's sacks of rubbish if recyclable items were removed with newspapers, magazines, all cans, plastic and glass bottles and jars and aerosols placed in recycling boxes, and cardboard, card, food waste and garden waste put in the green bins.

The spokesperson said that larger bins could be provided where there were six or more people in a household and anyone experiencing problems with insufficient capacity in their bins should phone 01727 819285, email clientservices@stalbans.gov.uk or go to the website www.recyclingforapremier.com