Dog poo bins and waste bins to be cut by West Berkshire Council to save money

West Berkshire Council wants to remove 87 dog waste bins and 81 litter bins currently managed by its grounds maintenance contractor.

That is a total of 168 bins overall and the council admits it will lead to more dog fouling in the district "if people don't act responsibly and take their waste home".

Street bins, cleansing and the litter picking service - and all bins provided and maintained by town and parish councils - are not affected by this proposal.

This will leave a basic provision of dog waste and litter bins at selected high-profile locations such as public parks, selected visitor destinations, sports fields and large open spaces which are used for leisure and recreation purposes.

The council will cease to provide litter bins and dog waste bins at small residential grass areas, public rights of way, grass verges, play areas, and common land - except for Greenham Common and Snelsmore Common Country Park.

They had put the matter out to public consultation, which is now closed, and hope to save £20k a year doing so.

Some town and parish councils will become responsible for the servicing of bins, with the maintenance and emptying being carried out by local contractors.

Consequently there will be a variation in service from parish to parish.

The council expects increased littering and dog fouling of the roadside, countryside, parks and open spaces and rural villages, if people don't take their waste home if there is no dog waste or litter bin available.

It says dog waste is no longer considered to be a biohazard and therefore it can be deposited in any public litter bin or your black wheeled bin at home.

Over time, the council said it will seek to replace dog and litter bins with covered dual litter bins, which generally have a greater capacity for general litter.

The council also predicts that incidences of ghost binning - where the public continue to leave litter and dog poo bags on the ground or hanging in trees and bushes despite the removal of a bin from that location - and an increased number of complaints to the council.

If the decision to proceed with the proposal is made at the meeting of the full council in February, the change will be implemented sometime this year, after discussions with parishes and the council's grounds maintenance contractor.