Category Archives: Refuse collection

Health agencies ignored public’s concerns on incinerator

As BBC television news finally catches up with the notion that what’s coming out of the chimneys of incinerators like the one at Beddington Lane might not be entirely wholesome or healthy, we take another look at the infant death … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

New bins deal sees tenants living above shops get extra service

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Despite being forced to go back to Veolia two years after they sacked the rubbish contractors, the council is claiming that their new contract is a better deal for residents. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Council officials, forced … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Environment, Fly tipping, Merton, Nick Hibberd, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two-year search to replace Veolia hands £40m deal to… Veolia

CROYDON IN CRISIS: You could not make this up. After four south London councils sacked their waste contractors for poor service, and hundreds of thousands of pounds were spent on a procurement process, Croydon is about to follow Sutton in … Continue reading →

Posted in Barry Lewis, Business, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Environment, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Natasha Irons, Nick Hibberd, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Council ignores residents’ tip-offs about New Addington dump

New Addington residents have been marvelling at a new, low-cost council waste dump facility, which has sprung up without any public consultation. Even before the new Croydon Local Plan has been published and agreed, Chertsey Crescent appears to be providing … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Fly tipping, New Addington North, New Addington South, Refuse collection, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Locals demand to know why Sanderstead Rec looks wrecked

CROYDON IN CRISIS: With each passing week, the impact of living in a cash-strapped, poorly managed and neglected borough is becoming clear to residents, even in what used to be regarded as the leafy suburbs. PEARL LEE, our south of … Continue reading →

Posted in Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Heathfield House, Queens Gardens, Refuse collection, Sanderstead, Sanderstead Residents Association, Taberner House | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Veolia backs down over road sweeper’s holiday to Portugal

Veolia, who operate the street cleaning and bin emptying contracts in Croydon, have been forced to back down over a decision to ban one of their employees in neighbouring Bromley from taking a £3,000 trip of a lifetime to Portugal, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bromley Council, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council’s open invitation to fly-tippers at Purley Way fields

There are multiple reasons why Croydon has become such a soft-touch for fly-tippers since Jason Perry became executive Mayor. Because as well as not bothering to prosecute fly-tippers, part-time Perry’s council appears to be going out of its way to … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Fly tipping, Mayor Jason Perry, Purley Way | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Croydon’s fly-tip prosecution record is 2nd worst in all England

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Fly-tipping continues to get worse under the borough’s part-time Mayor, according to official government figures, reports our environment correspondent, PAUL LUSHION Three months ago, the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (we’ll refer to them as DEFRA … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Croydon Council, Environment, Fly tipping, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Refuse collection, Simon Fox | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Perry’s promotional tour sees Mayor say more than he meant

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Fewer than 30 people turned up this week for the latest stage in Jason Perry’s council-funded grand tour of the borough. And five of them were police. Season ticket-holder ANDREW PELLING, left, was in South Norwood to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Refuse collection, Regina Road redevelopment, South Norwood, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

BINMAGEDDON: Mayor’s secret plan to charge £5 per new bin

CROYDON IN CRISIS: New impacts of living in a bankrupt borough are emerging with every passing day. The latest is the ‘rationing’ of new wheelie bins for residents. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Jason Perry, Croydon’s rubbish Mayor, plans to compound … Continue reading →

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Refuse collection, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Licensed to print money: incinerator’s five latest breaches

Viridor’s polluting incinerator at Beddington Lane broke the strict terms of its operating licence five times during December, according to data released by the operator. Viridor failed to issue its usual two-weekly update during December – at a time when … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, Merton, Paul Scully MP, Refuse collection, Scott Roche, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Viridor accused of new licence breach with ‘black, acrid smoke’

Viridor, the multinational firm that makes millions in profits from being allowed to pollute the air across south London, has admitted that a power outage at their Beddington Lane incinerator saw them leaving potentially toxic waste to “smoulder” untreated, possibly … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Staff at rubbish contractor Veolia call off their Sutton strike

The threatened two-week strike action by Sutton’s refuse teams working for rubbish contractor Veolia has been suspended as a “gesture of goodwill”, the workers’ union, the GMB, announced this morning. Veolia had “partially” addressed the concerns of workers, the union … Continue reading →

Posted in Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Halloween horrors as bin and parks workers strike in Sutton

Bin workers and parks staff across three south London boroughs are set to strike, the action likely to affect Halloween and Bonfire Night celebrations according to the GMB union. The two-week industrial action by refuse workers in Sutton and Kingston … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Infant death rates were up by 233% after incinerator fired up

Official figures from the ONS for the year after Viridor began its operations at Beddington showed a sharp increase in infant deaths in Selhurst, Broad Green and Waddon wards. STEVEN DOWNES reports Infant mortality rates in one part of Croydon, … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Planning, Refuse collection, Sadiq Khan, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A decade too late, even Sutton’s LibDems now turn on Viridor

No one wants the polluting Beddington incinerator to be allowed to increase its capacity for burning rubbish. So why is the Environment Agency ‘minded’ to approve the application? STEVEN DOWNES reports Tomorrow is the final day for submissions in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Barry Lewis, Business, Croydon Council, Elliot Colburn, Environment, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Planning, Refuse collection, Ruth Dombey, Sadiq Khan, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Council offers £750 per day for a rubbish temporary director

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the sky-high wages on offer from the cash-strapped local authority for someone to step in and keep the bins contract ticking over and ANPR cameras working As Croydon residents prepare to … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Refuse collection, Steve Iles, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Incinerator operators Viridor cash-in on pollution tax loophole

Allowing climate-damaging emissions from incinerators to go untaxed is ‘shameful’ according to environmental campaigner Companies running waste incinerators, including Viridor, the operators of the polluting Beddington Lane incinerator, dodged more than £500million of pollution charges for burning plastic last year … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Viridor’s charge sheet: incinerator operator’s eco-vandalism

This is the damning litany of charges now facing Valencia, the shell company established by Viridor to take the rap for more than a decade of failures to deliver on the relatively modest terms agreed in return for their original … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Refuse collection, Waste incinerator, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council’s rubbish director is set to take early retirement

KEN LEE, our Town Hall reporter, on an announcement which has been greeted warmly by many of the council’s frontline staff Steve Iles, one of the most controversial senior figures working for Croydon Council, is taking early retirement and leaving … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Refuse collection, Steve Iles, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

‘Red alert’ over increased costs with outsourced rubbish deal

‘Things are going to get worse’ said Mayor Jason Perry earlier this year. And looking at the outsourced deal he’s lining up to replace rubbish contractors Veolia, in that respect he is as good as his word, reports KEN LEE … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Mayor Jason Perry, Refuse collection, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

How Mayor Perry was shamed to take action by a video nasty

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Parts of the town centre on private land are being turned into rat-infested rubbish dumps, and the council had done nothing about it until a couple of residents shamed the Town Hall leadership. By STEVEN DOWNES The … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Environment, Fairfield, Fly tipping, Mayor Jason Perry, Refuse collection, Ria Patel, Sarah Jones MP, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Where you bin? Croydon wheelie turns up in west Africa

This image may have popped up on your interweb timeline at some point over the last few months. Your eyes are not deceiving you. This is not some AI image invention. This really is a Croydon Council issue wheelie bin, … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Refuse collection | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

‘Anarchy in Croydon’ fears as Mayor axes 22 safety officer jobs

Neighbourhood Safety Officers work to reduce fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour, and one worker facing redundancy warns that erasing his department is ‘a complete invitation to stabbings’. By STEVEN DOWNES A council workers’ union is claiming that cash-strapped Croydon’s decision to … Continue reading →

Posted in Council Tax, Crime, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Katherine Kerswell, Knife crime, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

‘Restructuring’ has housing workers facing £3,000 pay cut

Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, on the latest shocking cost-cutting measures being imposed on council staff Croydon Council could be heading for a series of strikes later this year, after senior managers at Fisher’s Folly moved to cut some … Continue reading →

Posted in Council Tax, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Susmita Sen | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments