Replacing old and worn-out public refuse bins could ruin the character of Congleton, a resident has said, after the council announced plans for a revamp scheme.
At the town’s annual meeting last Thursday, Coun Russell Chadwick said there had been a “notable decline” in the maintenance of benches, signposts and street furniture across the borough in recent years.
He said: “Historically, responsibility for maintaining these areas sat with Cheshire East Council but there is no ongoing programme for public realm maintenance or improvement in Congleton, or any other towns.
“As a town council, we are now costing out the maintenance work required across the town centre. Our aim is to address the issues we find in and around Congleton.”
During the meeting, members explained that the town council was taking a proactive approach to bringing more services into its control, including weeding and topping up grit bins.
Coun Suzy Firkin said: “There are about 200 bins in Congleton, and they all need emptying. A lot of them are too small for purpose and the pressure it places on Streetscape (a service run by the town council to maintain the town’s outside spaces) is actually quite astronomical.
“Many of them are worn-out, leaking and not very pretty, so we are going to undertake a structured replacement programme of bins that are around the town.
“This will cost to start with, but in the long term it will mean we are able to manage it much more effectively.”
Although Coun Firkin said the new bins would not offer separate sections for general waste and recycling, she hoped to introduce a new artistic approach to keeping the high street tidy while acknowledging Congleton’s 16th century heritage of owning a town bear.
“The way around it is more bears,” she said.
“We’re trying to pilot an initiative, which some people may have seen in seaside towns, where you have a sculpture made out of wire used as a recycling facility.
“We’re trying to find a way of doing a bear bin, so look out for that coming soon!”
After seeing a photo of the proposed new wire bears, Congleton “bin-fluencer” Andy Bailey said he “loved” the idea (see story above).
He said he felt the new recycling facilities could add some creativity to the high street, but said he had concerns about the council’s plans to replace some of the town’s older bins.
“It does worry me if they’re saying they want to save money,” he said.
“Worst case scenario, they could go down the cheap and cheerful route where they’ve got no character at all, and that wouldn’t be good.”
After raising £761 for charity in January with his bin calendar, which was posted all across the globe as gifts to Congleton ex-pats, he said many people remembered the town’s bins with fondness (see photo above).
But since starting his rubbish hobby, Mr Bailey said he had been approached by bin manufacturers and seen first-hand some quality wooden and metal bins that he felt could help to improve the look of the town.
He said: “A company called Broxap, which makes street furniture, reached out and invited me to its factory in Newcastle-under-Lyme. I’m going next week.
“I’m more familiar with new bins now than I ever was. Some can really enhance a space architecturally.
“I’m not saying it would be good to get rid of the old ones, but it could be positive if they don’t go for the cheapest option.”
(Photo: Congleton Town Council).
