article: Among the gripes is that bin collections are getting less frequent and cause a smelly pile-up. So what options do parents have? Nappy bins are not always free - or available - across the UK. Dorset, for example, recently introduced a £13 charge for an annual supply of nappy sacks, which are available for children up to age three. Councils in Bournemouth and Poole let households of five people or more buy an extra bin for £43. Kalpana Fitzpatrick, a journalist from London, thinks the charges are "absolutely ridiculous". She tweeted: "Why not introduce a tax for dog owners where councils have to have poop bins instead of introducing a nappy tax?" About eight million nappies are thrown away every day in the UK, according to local authorities, with one baby using enough disposable nappies to fill 40 black sacks a year. Mother-of-three Wendy Richards, who uses reusable cloth nappies, says a nappy bin charge is "understandable". "The average baby goes through a huge amount of nappies," she says. "People don't realise how much landfill waste that is. Someone's got to pay for it." Young parents have complained of a "poo problem" as the time between bin collections has increased, with some areas in the UK having to wait a whole month. Abi Jones, a PA from Essex who blogs about being mother to two-year-old Alfie, says her family has "definitely found it more difficult" since their local council switched to fortnightly bin collections. "Had Alfie been a newborn - and getting through the amount of disposals newborns do - we would have had to make extra trips to the local refuse centre," she says. Anglesey council, which has three-weekly collections, offers parents an extra nappy bin collection. But once a toddler reaches age three the service stops, as by this age the council says most children are potty trained. In Bridgend, the council introduced purple collection bags for nappies and other items, such as incontinence pads, in June after it said smaller households could throw away up to two rubbish bags a fortnight. Councils say the move from weekly rubbish collections saves money and encourages people to recycle more. Local authorities have a target to recycle at least half of all waste by 2020, to meet the European Union's Waste Framework Directive. Councils often make exceptions for large families, disabled children and for people with medical conditions if they need more space for waste. But Carly Dashwood, responding to the charges on Facebook, said they were "disgusting" if parents with disabled children had to pay. She writes: "I have a disabled child and he is in nappies. This is very unfair on people that don't have a choice in the matter." It is not compulsory to use nappy bins or sacks, but councils can fine families if their household waste gets out of control. If a bin is so full it is deemed littering, councils can issue fixed penalty notices of about £60 to £80 - or slightly less for early payment - under the Environmental Protection Act. If the offence
summary: Parents have raised a stink over "ridiculous" plans by some councils in England and Wales to charge them to take away nappies on top of their household waste.