Bins hotline fails after 8,000 angry Torbay residents phone in
A BINS telephone hotline 'crashed' yesterday as calls from angry Torbay residents topped the 8,000 mark.
Torbay mayor Nick Bye, who had joined dust cart crews on their rounds, revealed that call centre staff had fielded abusive calls and he had heard unsubstantiated reports that a Facebook campaign had been launched to bring the helpline to its knees.
He pleaded with upset members of the public not to vent their anger at staff and said: "Blame me — not the binmen."
More than 6.000 calls flooded the phone line, housed at Torbay Council's call centre — the contact number issued by new refuse rounds company Tor2 — on Monday. The figure yesterday grew to around 8,000 and some residents couldn't get through at all.
Mr Bye criticised people trying to block the helpline. He said: "My understanding is that there has been a Facebook campaign trying to block it. The calls we have been receiving have been between 7,000 to 8,000 a day. It has bogged down the system. It has crashed.
"A lot of people are just dialling and saying 'we are not doing it' and overloading the call centre."
Mayor Bye said abusive calls had "got in the way of genuine enquiries", adding: "We are happy to deal with genuine calls for help but are overloaded with abusive calls.
"I am happy to say those calls have started to fall away because no- one should have to put up with it."
He urged people: "Fire off an angry email to me but please treat the people on the bin rounds and those answering the phones with courtesy and understanding."
Mr Bye spent Tuesday morning out on rounds with Tor 2 binmen in the Veille Park and Fowey Avenue areas of Torquay.
He said the difficulty was that both the binmen and residents were learning the new system.
"I would say two-thirds of households deserve a gold star with just a yoghurt pot or crisp packet out of place," he said, adding that teething problems were inevitable.
He admitted: "It is going to be hell for about four or five weeks."
Torbay Council confirmed that it was still receiving a high volume of calls to its call centre.
A spokesman said: "On Tuesday about 8,000 calls were made. We believe the large figure may be accounted for to some extent by people trying without success to get through then trying again, and we apologise to everyone who has experienced difficulties.
"We are aware that on some occasions calls are being automatically terminated. This is to ensure we do not keep residents holding on for a disproportionate time, which would happen when we are experiencing high call volumes. Once again we apologise for the inconvenience and frustration caused.
"On Tuesday we had 28 advisers on duty, and yesterday we increased that to 30, but we appreciate that many callers are still unable to get through."
The call centre will now be open on Saturday mornings until noon, and opening hours will be extended during the week.
The spokesman said: "During the next fortnight, beginning on Monday, September 13, the call centre will remain open until 8pm Monday to Friday. It is open from 8.30am Monday to Saturday except Wednesday, when it opens at 9.30am."
Preston resident Michelle Stevens, 34, of Butland Avenue, said she had rung the call centre twice on Tuesday morning to get a 'we are experiencing a high number of calls' message. Yesterday her call was hung up. Tim Mantle, 51, of Melville Street, Torquay, rang three times by 9.30am yesterday and said that people were just 'hanging up'.
LETTERS EXTRA: Page 10
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by Mr Michael Butler, Dawlish
Sunday, September 12 2010, 3:04PM
“Sorry to hear about your kerbside recycling problems Torbay however, I'm not astonished: When Teignbridge District Council made our bin changes, about 5 years ago, I was sufficiently phased, then motivated, that it galvanised me into building an award winning website dedicated to: Freely demonstrate how bad the mismatch is between what's expected of us all, by way of kerbside recycling and what's actually delivered by rubbish (packaging and the like). And, to help local people.
Background details can be sourced through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullapart and http://twitter.com/pullapart
Briefly, my findings to-date are: There is an urgent need to unify kerbside recycling throughout the UK. Equally there's a need to make packaging 100% locally, easy, totally kerbside recyclable. This facilitates minimal landfill use (environmentally excellent), whilst keeping our bins to a minimum and, making it easy for local people to handle. However, currently we have an ill conceived, dysfunctional structure. Local government has to listen to central government, via WRAP and DEFRA and, this amounts to many masters. Packaging industries, manufactures and retailers are powerful and very wealthy, with great influence.
Packaging was never designed to be recycled the way we think of it today and, to give local government credit ¿ they had to cobble together, out of this mess, a structure that provides local recycling. For some, this has been quite successful - Teignbridge is one of the best in the UK. I like to think that I've made a contribution here.
Packaging is good for us, it stop things from going off and protects, its even environmentally friendly but, its all about material choices and consideration for the environment and local consumers. Afterall, we pay for all of this rubbish, in more ways than one!
¿This product conforms to local, easy kerbside recycling¿ - what a wonderful thing this would be to behold but, when?
The current coalition government has emphasised the need for more ¿Green¿ support but, its a shame that the economy is in such poor shape.
According to PullApart: Only 3% of all packaging is the very best for local people! Just walk through your local supermarket, and see how many products are easy to completely kerbside recycle, according to local rules? This isn't really good enough, is it!
Without the Herald Express in those early days my work would not have been seen, developed the way it has, many thanks.
I'm not associated with Teignbridge District Council and, PullApart is funded by me.”
by D I C K, Torquay
Friday, September 10 2010, 9:45PM
“RUTH PENTNEY....my name maybe ridiculous but that is what my Mum and Dad christened me. Talk about an insult.
You know me and I have spoken to you many a time.
You are helping no one on here at all and certainly not the residents of the Bay. You are only encouraging people to moan. Being an activist I believe it is called.
I detest Bye and his silly mates, Lewis and Carroll and the useless member of the councillors, including you, that are suppose to represent us. You lot have proved to be money grabbers and just do things for the kudos. Why do you not represent Hele where you are from?”
by alex, babbacombe
Friday, September 10 2010, 3:42PM
“just had green bins delivered, they have been left on the pavement of the main babbacombe road, completely blocking the pavement, forcing people to walk in the main babbacombe road!!!
have already seen two near misses!!
have the people who delivered them no common sense?
god help anyone in a wheelchair, how will they get past them??
what the heck is going on in torbay???????”
by Not a Happy Bunny, Paignton
Friday, September 10 2010, 1:21PM
“Brian Sanders, we too in Paignton have the new bins & they have taken away our old bins. Its mainly those in Brixham who have now been given the green wheelie bins.
Today Ive watched as our black bins have been emptied from the back of our properties. Then watched the recycling team miss our section completely even though pick up has always been at the back of our properties not the front due to the fact there are 3 flights of steps to the houses from the front as we are on a hill (& no steps to the back because of en block garage access at the back. Funnily enough-cant get through to the helpline to check what happens now as our boxes are overflowing.
Was more than happy with the new scheme till this. If we have to wait another week before they collect (& actually collect from the right place) then I will just go get my green bin back as its been sat along with everyone elses blocking gararge access for the past 14 days.”
by Simon, Paignton
Friday, September 10 2010, 9:45AM
“Just had my bins emptied on Roselands. EXCELLENT service. Thanks. If you have maggots in yours you should bag your food waste up better...DER!!!”