Town Council bins to be managed by new contractor

A new contractor has been appointed to manage waste across the open spaces run by Frome Town Council, following ongoing con-cerns from residents about overflowing bins.

Councillors voted unanimously at the Full Council meeting on 25th March to award the £56,000 contract to Busy Bees, following issues with bin collections under former contractor idverde and a subsequent nine-month agreement with Somerset Council.

The town council said there were concerns that bins remained unemptied for consecutive days during both these arrangements.

Environment Manager Rob Holden said he was hopeful the new contract would make a significant difference.

“It’s a high bar. I think it will be an incomparable difference between the levels of service between the two operators,” he said.

Frome Town Council manages 80 bins in its open spaces, while bins in other parts of the town remain the responsibility of Somerset Council.

Cllr Mark Dorrington welcomed the move and suggested the new bins could be clearly marked to highlight the contrast in service levels.

“Hopefully this high level of service that we are promised will shame Somerset,” he said. “People walking by will see a lovely clean area which is ours and disaster which is Somerset’s.”

He also called for a wider campaign to educate residents about littering, following concerns about rubbish along the riverbank raised by a local resident.