A woman who has moved to South Holland has expressed her shock on discovering there is no separate collection for incontinence pads as her black bags are ripped open.
The woman moved from an area that offered clinical waste collections and secure rubbish in wheelie bins.
“It’s a health hazard,” said the Spalding resident, who needs to change her incontinence pad at least three or four times a day.
“Where I was before, the council collected clinical waste and we had wheelie bins for general waste,” she said.
“Here I’ve been advised by the council to wrap pads up and put them in the bin.
“Over Christmas we had no collection for two weeks and I’ve had bags ripped open by foxes and cats.”
The resident was told by the council that it will only consider waste “clinical” if blood is involved, so pads, as well as catheter bags and colostomy bags are put in the general waste.
A spokesman for South Holland District Council said: “South Holland District Council collects low-grade clinical waste as part of the normal household waste collection service, including items such as incontinence pads, catheters and colostomy bags.
“This waste should be emptied, if possible, double bagged and then placed with their usual refuse on the normal day.
“Clinical waste that can cause infection or harm can be arranged for collection through Lincolnshire County Council, by contacting your local health care professional or Primary Health Care Trust for advice.”
The resident said she had spoken to Sir John Hayes MP and he was “totally disgusted” by the situation.
The wheelie bin debate has raged on in the letters pages of this paper and on The Voice’s Facebook page for the past fortnight, following the district council’s participation in a new county-wide waste scheme, in which SHDC is the only council that doesn’t use wheelie bins.
District council leader Lord Gary Porter called the new plan “stupid”.
