A CURIOUS booming and rumbling has been echoing around the villages in the north of the Forest over the past few days.

But instead of the usual strafing from the RAF, this noise actually heralds the arrival of the new recycling bins – and a new waste disposal system that everyone will have to learn to use. But not yet!

It seems the speedy roll-out of the new style waste bins – three new containers to each household – has caused a bit of a headache for the district council, because some people are so keen to get started with them they have started filling them – two months before they can be collected!

And the new bins cannot yet be unloaded into the conventional Biffa bin lorries in use locally because they are not fitted with the right lifting equipment.

As the Review went to press, the rumbling had reached Lydbrook, with the delivery team hard at work dealing with delivering the bulky bins up the narrow and steep paths around the village.

The three containers they are delivering are a giant black wheelie bin for non-food refuse, plus two 'caddies' for food waste: one intended to be sited outside the house, while a smaller silver caddy is to be used to collect scraps in the kitchen. But with over 36,000 households set to receive the new bins, the effort to get them all out on time has led to some people starting to use them immediately – when they new system does not come into force until July 2.

Councillor Martin Quaile, spokesman for the environment for the district council said: "We deliberately started the process of getting the bins and caddies delivered out early as the experience of other local authorities has shown has shown that this can often be a huge headache, and causes delays."

But he also urged everyone to resist using the bins before the official start of the scheme.

"While it is encouraging that residents are keen to get started and use the new bins, it is important that they wait for the July changeover," he said.

However, it is not just the delay in the new service starting which is causing controversy – it is also the bins themselves. Local folk opening up their silver kitchen caddy will find that it contains a roll of plastic liners – despite the fact that the words "Do not use plastic bags to line your caddy" are printed on the front of the container. Replacement rolls of 50 caddy liners, made from a special bio-degradable plastic, are available for £5.99 for a roll of 50.

Meanwhile, an instruction slip explains exactly how to insert a carbon filter into the lid of the caddy (to reduce smells), but no filter is actually provided with the bin. These are available to buy at £3.98 each – with the recommendation that the filters are changed every three months.

As householders count the cost of keeping up with the system, this charge comes in addition to the new charges for the collection of garden waste bins which were rolled out this month. Meanwhile, over the border in Monmouthshire, a similar system – which was set up last year – provides free caddy liners, available from Council One-Stop shops and libraries. This fuels spec­u­lation that crafty Foresters will help themselves to the free Welsh caddy liners...