Parents are concerned their toddlers’ dirty nappies will be abandoned by Camden Council once they cut services, following chaos when they tried to register for a free weekly collection.

https://twitter.com/Hampstead_Mums/status/843918795005710336

Hampstead parents fear their toddler’s dirty nappies will pile up in heaps once Camden’s fortnightly bin collections are introduced - after receiving confusing and contradictory advice from council staff.

Camden has promised there will be a free weekly nappy collection once rubbish collections are cut for thousands of homes around Swiss Cottage, Hampstead and Belsize Park in a bid to save money and increase recycling on April 1.

But mums have taken to Facebook and Twitter to say they have been unable to register for the free nappy collection.

Kat Foster, whose daughter, Willow, is 14 months, is concerned people could resort to fly-tipping and place the dirty nappies in street bins, if there is complete chaos when the fortnightly bin collections are introduced, as predicted.

Ms Foster, who lives on Parliament Hill, said she had been thwarted every time when trying to ring up to register for free nappy collections, with staff telling her she had to wait for the new system to start - contrary to information on Camden’s website.

She told the Ham&High: “They should just tell people. We keep ringing in and getting different responses, no one knows what to do.

“We can’t just leave a pile of nappies around outside. I can’t begin to imagine how smelly it would be for people in flats.

“I think it does pose a health and safety threat. Now it’s cold, but just think what it could be like in the summer.

“You can’t always flush [the waste] down the toilet.”

“It’s not a topic that will go away, there are lots of children that are being born here - it’s nappy central.”

West Hampstead mum-of-two Sam Isaac who has phoned the council four times unsuccessfully without being able to confirm she has registered for collections, said : “It’s so awful, it’s just ridiculous.”

She believes the council is not treating people equally, as people with young children are not being catered for properly under the fortnightly bin collection scheme.

Ms Isaac has ordered a bin for nappies, although the information on whether bags would be provided was also unclear.

She said: “We can’t have nappies outside for two weeks - is that what they expect us to do?

“The leaflet that came through the door had no mention of nappy collections.”

The Ham&High previously reported that Camden Council has been accused of singling out the wealthier parts of the borough with their fortnightly collection scheme which only covers certain wards.

Camden Council said young children can still get their nappies collected, contrary to previous information.

They have also since tweeted that they will be providing pink bags for nappies.

Councillor Meric Apak said: “Residents in street properties in the borough can register for a free weekly nappy or incontinence pad collection service. I am sorry that there have been difficulties with the registration process to date. I can now confirm that if residents now give us a call, we will arrange for them to receive this free service from 2 April.

“Residents who live on estates and in large blocks of flats and receive communal collections will not see a change to their current collection service.”