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War veteran, 96, has rubbish uncollected for two weeks for 'crime' of putting two jars in wrong bin
Last updated at 07:37am on 15.05.08A council refused to collect rubbish from a 95-year-old war veteran who is nearly blind - because he put a ketchup bottle in the wrong bin.
Lenny Woodward, a former Desert Rat who has lived in the same house for 58 years, was confused by a new regime of fortnightly collections and rigid recycling rules.
Residents have a blue wheelie bin for cans and cardboard, a green box for glass and a black bin for other waste.
Mr Woodward made the mistake of putting the ketchup bottle and a coffee jar in the blue bin when they should have gone in the green box.
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Great-grandfather Lenny Woodward was snubbed by binmen who refused to empty his recycling wheelie bin
When binmen inspected the blue bin, they refused to empty it and attached a tag to it warning him not to break the rules again.
And when his daughter rang Norwich City Council to explain that he was baffled by the new regime, she was told that "rules have to be obeyed".
Mr Woodward, who lives alone following the death of his wife Hilda three years ago, said: "I'm very sorry it happened. It's just I'm confused. I don't know which bin is which so I put the wrong things in the wrong bin.
"They could have knocked on my door and spoken to me about it instead of putting a note on the bin saying they would not empty it.
"It all seems very childish. I've never broken the law before. I haven't even had a parking fine or speeding ticket."
His daughter, Vicky Marshall, 46, added: "I was really angry about what happened and rang the council to complain.
"You would think they would take into account that he's 95 and could make some concessions. But I was told these were rules and they had to be obeyed."
Mrs Marshall's husband, Rob, 49, said: "There were only about five other items in the bin, including a newspaper, a tin and a couple of bits of cardboard. "The council should find other things to do than frightening an old man. The streets around here are a mess but you never see a road sweeper."
Mr Woodward was a railway worker for nearly 50 years but spent five years as a gunner in the Desert Rats, serving in North Africa and Italy during the Second World War.
He had never fallen foul of council rules before fortnightly collections were brought in last October.
A football-style yellow and red tag warning system was introduced for residents who fail to correctly sort their rubbish or overfill their bins.
Mr Woodward, who uses a walking stick, had received a yellow tag before binmen boycotted him last Wednesday - but he couldn't read it because of his poor eyesight.
The bin was emptied two days later after the local paper became involved.
Norwich City Council said an officer would be visiting Mr Woodward to explain the system.
A spokesman added: "We can help residents move heavy bins on a regular basis if they are unable to do this. We are not able to sort rubbish for them."
Last month, bus driver Gareth Corkhill, 26, from Whitehaven in Cumbria, was given a criminal record and fined £210 because the amount of rubbish in his wheelie bin left the lid open by a few inches.
Reader views (23)
Regarding the 96 year old blind veteran who committed the grievous crime of mixing items in the recycling containers--Sure hope someone in a position of authority and with good sense adjusted the trash haulers' attitudes and cleared up the foolishness. Y'all sound downright mean, not to mention ungrateful for the man's service.
- Steven Roehl, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Thank you Norwich City Council for today's definition of evil.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark
We are both in our thirties with many qualifications between us yet still have to check the calendar and the colour code sheet every week to work out what's been collected when. I cannot, absolutely cannot appreciate how confusing it must be for someone of 95. So much nonsense to take in, so much that doesn't make sense at all to any of us. How do we solve it? How do we protest against it? Is it really at the elections?
- Annie, London, UK
If it wasn't for these Veterans this moronic Council would be under Nazi rule.
- Mr M R Knight, Alton, Hampshire.
Typically Nu Labor: the bureaucracy taking over. Whatever long this man has paid taxes. Crash Gordon and his bunch should be ashamed!
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
No common-sense or flexibility allowed in today's Nanny State. Big Brother knows best and if you don't play along it's a spot or re-education for you!
- Mark, London, UK
This is evil - there is no other word for it.
Local councils are there to provide services TO us; not to pretend they are the Gestapo.
- Chris Neave, London UK
Why can't the council help sort the rubbish? If they are going to be this strict then they need to help those, who for reasons other than laziness, are unable to do it themselves. This is one such case. If you are going to be this rigid then be prepared to help. If you are not going to help then don't impose such impractical rules. Do they monitor their employees in the council offices to ensure each sheet of paper is put in it's recycle bins instead of the litter bins?
Also, has the council never heard of human error? How many of their employees never make mistakes?
- Charlie, London
May I suggest that Mr Woodward takes action against the Council under the Disability Discrimination Act. The Equality Commission should be able to support him.
- Adam, London, UK
This man deserves respect because he is: a) a citizen and a customer of Norwich City Council, b) 95 years old, c) a veteran. Yet he is shown none. The Chief Executive of this Council should be called in for re-training on the government's 'Respect' agenda. Which training should include the drafting of a letter of apology.
- Peter Haldane, London
It's typical of the mentality of those who are called civil servants, but who now seek to rule us, that they can't think of the obvious problems before they impose draconian regulations. I approve of recycling schemes, but they have to allow for the blind, the elderly confused, people who can't read English or can't read at all, and antisocial idiots who dump the wrong sorts of rubbish in other people's bins.
Automatic fines or refusing to collect are not proper answers to the above problems, and just give recycling an unjustified bad name. It also gives the council responsible a wholly justifiable bad name, that one hopes will result in the current councillors getting voted out!
- Nigel, London
Rubbish Nazism is really taking hold!
The situation would really be helped if we had a common approach as to what can be recycled and how across the whole country. Each council seems to have different rules and these often don't match the recycling labels on packaging. If we had common rules, these could be advertised properly with a national publicity campaign to actually help people.
- Simon, London
This is such a common problem. My (elderly) mother didn't squeeze down the lid on the 'only to be collected fortnightly' bin so that there was a massive 2 inch gap between bin and lid and also got tagged. On ringing the council to complain about the bin not being emptied she was told 1. that she could buy a bigger bin for £50 if the one she had wasn't big enough and that 2. rules were rules and she should have ensured that the bin wasn't over filled. On remonstrating that with fortnightly collections it was likely that she would always overfill and what should she do, she was advised to put excess rubbish in the car and drive to the council tip...
'That would be a a 2 hour round trip, she said, hardly improving the carbon footprint is it?'. No doubt this was greeted with a shrug.
I should add that the fortnightly collections are carried out by three different lorries - yes, three- one for food waste, one for general waste and the third for tins, paper and glass. Really environmentally friendly approach, isn't it?
The irony of this is that we have been recycling for in excess of 20 years. With a loved garden, food waste is recycled at home. We live in a rural area with no street lighting, a single police constable with a 50 square mile beat, 20 minutes from the nearest emergency services (police, fire AND ambulance) and yet the highest, yes that's right, the highest council tax in the UK. Welcome to Britain, the new USSR.
- Jane, London
As an elderly nearly blind man he obviously has an excuse and made a simple mistake although the bin men weren't necessarily to know about his disability. However, could someone explain to me why I have to clean out the recycling bin in our office 3 times a day because people persist in throwing non-recyclables in it? I can only assume it's wilful ignorance especially when people throw half eaten salads in there too.
- Saint Gordo, Westmonster
This is sick. Shame on everyone for allowing Nazism to take root in England.
- Neil, london uk
Perhaps Norwich City Council should provide stickers to put inside the lids of these bins, as do Portsmouth City Council. They contain pictures of exactly what should go in the bin provided and all you have to do is compare what is in your hand as to what is on the sticker. No problem.
- Monica, UK
Shame on them for bullying an old disabled man, do they not have a duty to provide large print for the tags as well?
- Neil Grinsell, london
PC gone mad!
- Noel, London, England
Why can't you use your reporting to better effect by telling us WHO makes these stupid decisions - and then remind us just before the council elections.
- Martin, victoria, canada
"Mr Woodward was a railway worker for nearly 50 years but spent five years as a gunner in the Desert Rats, serving in North Africa and Italy during the Second World War."
And now he probably thinks that the Nazis won after all.
- Sallyr., London, UK
That last comment in the article was a joke was it not ?
- T A Paul, Wellington,Fl.USA
Who is this nameless cretin from Norwich City Council who can't bring herself to admit that yet again a public service, for which WE pay, can't use a bit of common sense and get the dustmen to help this gentleman. What have we come to when we can't help an obviously in need war veteran without retreating behind the usual script peddled out whenever public servants get it wrong, which is all too often these days?
- Craig, Pinner, Middlesex
Before help comes understanding, something this council seems to be lacking regards their dependant population.
- Rogan, DFW Texas
