“CATASTROPHIC” rubbish collection woes forced Basildon's councillor for the environment to consider quitting his role after issues with the rollout of new bins and collections. 

Kevin Blake, who is also deputy leader of the council, admitted he has considered quitting his cabinet position after criticism of the scheme and issues that have seen piles of rubbish lining the streets. 

Despite this, he believes he is still "the best man for the job" and is confident that he can help resolve the issues. 

The new waste collection scheme was rolled out at the end of November, with bins replaced with a series of different coloured sacks aimed at improving recycling rates. 

It follows calls from former council leader Phil Turner for the chief executive officer, Scott Logan, to resign, but Mr Blake has insisted he should “fall on his sword” if the time comes.

He said: “It’s not fair to ask Scott Logan to resign. No councillors have that remit other than the leader.

“We’ve got a great team of officers. If the scheme’s failing, the person who should be falling on their sword would be me.

Echo: One resident says fly-tipped rubbish is 'piled high' near their home.One resident says fly-tipped rubbish is 'piled high' near their home. (Image: Submitted)

“I don’t think the implementation has been as good as it should have been. But I’m the best person to solve these problems as they come up.

“The majority of people are doing their best, but some people are spoiling it for others.”

Fellow Conservative Phil Turner, councillor for Billericay West, branded the scheme a “catastrophe” that must be reconsidered “going forward”.

He said: “There’s no doubt about it, it’s gone down like a lead balloon.

“The council put in a policy to increase the percentage of waste recycled but they’ve absolutely destroyed the one service people have treasured for many years.

“The residents didn’t ask for it but they’re having to deal with the ramifications.”

One Basildon resident says fly tipping has been a major issue near their home. 

They said: “We can’t even get out via our back gate. The rubbish is piled high. It’s an absolute nightmare. I’ve said, ‘if it’s not cleaned up, I’ll take the bags down to the council's offices and leave them in the foyer’.

“The system is terrible, but people are taking advantage of it.”