SOCK puppets encouraging residents to recycle have been described as cringeworthy and patronising by opposition councillors.

Colchester Council says the £2,000 video posted on YouTube will engage younger residents.

The council says it paid for the video from a £2.3million Government grant to roll out the food waste service.

The Binling family of monsters, Oody, Ru and Kel, which cost £15 each, explain how the new food waste bins work.

Will Quince, leader of the council’s Conservative group, said: “I find this video really patronising.

“We are all grown ups and we are being told what to do by sock puppets. If theywant us to recycle more, tell us why it is important, don’t create sock puppets and make patronising videos. It is reminiscent of Sooty and Sweep, cringeworthy stuff.”

Martin Hunt, councillor for waste services, said Mr Quince failed to see the aim of the film.

He said: “I would have thought Mr Quince was young enough and savvy enough to appreciate social media and the fact we are doing something to aim at a different kind of audience than by shoving leaflets through letterboxes. It is aimed at going into schools for the next generation of recyclers.

“My grandchild, aged four-and-a- half, is very savvy and there might be kids who watch the video and go to their mums and dads to ask why they are not using the food bin.”

Mr Hunt said the reaction to the three-minute film, which has been viewed more than 600 times, has been very good.

He said: “It is not patronising, and to someone of my age I might understand cringeworthy, but it’s not aimed at people of my age.”

The first of the council’s food waste collections got under way on October 22. More than 70,000 homes will have a weekly food waste collection by Friday, November 29.

The council is in week five of the six-week rollout of the service.

Nearly 120 tonnes of food waste have been collected between October 22 and November 8.

The council said the number of people visiting the recycling section of its website increased in October, which coincided with the start of delivery of recycling kits to homes and its promoting the scheme online.

  • Residents can win a Binling by tweeting one of the creatures’ names to #Binlings by Sunday, December 1, to be entered into a draw. Entries can also be posted on the council’s EnjoyColchester Facebook page


Post by Colchester Gazette.