LAUNCESTON’S Robert Collins has been left waiting for more than 12 weeks to get new recycling bags from Cornwall Council, writes Richard Whitehouse.

Mr Collins first contacted County Hall to order new bags on June 3 after finding that the ones he had were no longer big enough to take all his recyclable rubbish.

Households are provided with three bags — one for paper, one for plastic and tins and another for cardboard — as well as a plastic box for glass.

Mr Collins attempted to order a red bag for plastic and tins as well as an orange bag for cardboard using a form on the council’s website.

The website informed Mr Collins that it could take up to 15 days for recycling containers to be delivered.

By June 25 he was concerned that he still had not seen his new bags so he phoned the council and was told that there was a ‘huge’ demand for the bags and was advised to complete a second order, which he did.

With still no sign of the new bags by the beginning of August, Mr Collins went back to the council website where he found a message stating that the waiting time for new containers was now six weeks.

And a week later, seven weeks after he placed his second order, he decided to call the council again to see where his recycling bags had got to.

He said: “I spoke to a man who told me that the waiting time would be six weeks and more and that the council is awaiting delivery from their supplier. He then advised me to put recycling in supermarket carrier bags! I responded to this suggestion that those have to be paid for, and I very much doubt that they would be properly collected by the council’s operatives in any case.

“I think it is very poor that with the current focus on recycling, Cornwall Council are over seven weeks behind with orders for bags from citizens who are just trying to do their best to prevent more waste from being put into landfill.”

The council webpage for ordering recycling containers stated last Tuesday (August 28) that orders could take up to six weeks.

In response to Mr Collins, the council said that it was trying to find out what was happening with the bags and why there was a delay.