Bootle residents divided over leaflet posted through letterboxes about major bin collections changes
Residents in one part of Merseyside are split over the ‘good news’ delivered through their letter boxes today as they considered a major change planned for their bin collection.
The LDRS has seen a letter sent out to some residents in Bootle today detailing a major change to bin collections for two thousand households.
It will mean bin sack collections will be stopped and residents will be provided with wheelie bins.
The letter from Sefton Council said: “Good news! We listened to your concerns during the ‘#Why Fly Tip?’ campaign in 2024 and we are contacting you to provide information about improvements to your waste collection service. As you will be aware, your property is currently serviced via weekly sack collections.
“However, from mid-August 2025, we are changing your waste collection service to alternate weekly collections, and we will be providing you with bins to contain your recycling and waste.
“To ensure you have sufficient capacity to dispose of all of your recyclable items and waste we will provide you with two wheeled bins which is the standard service delivered across the majority of the Borough. This will consist of one grey bin for general waste and one brown bin for recycling, each provided free of charge.
“Your collection day will remain unchanged. Each Wednesday, your bin should be presented at the front of your property by 6:30am on the morning of collection.”
It added: “Existing storage bins that some residents may have will be collected by Council staff to give you sufficient space for your new bins. The improved collection method will contribute to keeping your neighbourhood clean and tidy, in addition to increasing recycling rates across the Borough.”
Cabinet member for Sefton Council’s Cleansing and Street Scene, Cllr Peter Harvey said: “From mid-August around 2,000 households in Derby Ward, Bootle, will be moving from sacks to bins as council refuse and recycling collections are improved to align with our standard model across Sefton.
“Consultation with residents during last year’s #WhyFlyTip? campaign found that the sack collections were a concern for many households due to the mess they can create. So as a result, we are rolling out new wheelie bins for all suitable households.
“This will help combat gulls scavenging from sacks and reduce the risk of rubbish blowing around – making Bootle’s streets cleaner.
“We hope that improvement in waste containment in the area will also discourage people from fly-tipping. Residents will be kept fully informed of changes.”
The LDRS asked a local Facebook Group to respond to the news and it prompted several comments, including from local activist Michael Brennan who wrote: “It needs consultation. [Sefton Council are suggesting] that the 3 month ‘#Why Fly Tip?’ campaign was the consultation. It wasn’t.
“Some people may have mentioned they want wheelie bins, which is fine, but some also said they don’t. A lot of people like the idea of gull proof sacks, which are used by other coastal towns up and down the UK.
“The council said they were looking to trial this idea. No idea if they did as there is never any communication with the people these matters concern. Seems the only enforcement now happening is the enforcement of wheelie bins.
“The last time they consulted on the matter the majority of residents were not in favour of communal bins or wheelie bins. So why no consultation now with the option of gull sacks!?”
Kate Sullivan also commented: “I’ve seen houses with wheelie bins still dumping black bags outside. If you have more rubbish than a bin can hold, the seagull problem isn’t solved.”
A Lynn Cato raised the issue of where the wheelie bins could be stored, she said: “Our house has no front garden or space to put wheelie bin. A lot of the houses around Peel Road area are the same.”