Westbrook resident Jordan Cross was so furious that his recycling bin had not been emptied, he says for THREE MONTHS, that today (July 16) he hauled it to Thanet council offices and dumped it there.
The 24-year-old, who says he moved to Thanet from Slough in 2017 with his partner “for a better life,” became so incensed at finding the bin still full to the brim after collections that he dragged it from his home, along Margate seafront and to the offices in Cecil Street before declaring he was “starting a revolution” and leaving it at the base of the council’s steps.
The entire encounter was live streamed on facebook and has had more than 2,000 views in three hours.
WARNING: Swear words contained in this video
Jordan said: “If they (Thanet council) can’t be bothered to collect it then they can have it. We have had enough, the people of Thanet are rising up!”
Demanding to know what he was paying his council tax for, Jordan also berated the authority for closing the clocktower public toilets, adding that the public was “left, ignored, forgotten.”
As he dragged the bin along the seafront he urged people to not just write on facebook but to ‘take action.”
He added: “The bottles in the bin come from the two air B&Bs next to us, they aren’t even ours.”
Dumping the bin Jordan told council security he would be back, with more bins!
He even vowed to video viewers to collect the bins of other irate residents and deliver them to the council steps.
He added: “Get out there on the streets and make yourself known. Do your part, put yourself on the frontline and get results. Nothing happens by crying on facebook.”
And, in the spirit of taking action Jordan’s adventure did not end there. After leaving the council offices he went to Athelstan Road and released a seagull that has been trapped in vacant 36 Athelstan Road.
The gull was the third to get stuck inside the building, which has an Emergency Prohibition Order. Athelstan Road Tenants & Residents Association had informed both the RSPCA and TDC who helped coordinate the necessary consent for the RSPCA to access the building the first time when the two gulls were stuck. This process took more than a week.
However, there is now no need to wait for a second rescue as Jordan decided to free the bird before he went home!
He said: “I was never an activist or protester before coming to Thanet but now I am a member of Extinction Rebellion and Thanet Trees. It is time to take action.”
A Thanet council spokesperson said: “We’re doing all we can to resolve this issue and have attempted to contact the resident directly to investigate the circumstances around his missed collections.”
Calm down dear it’s only a bin FFS.
One of many bins that has been ignored by TDC, I am proud to have people like this living in Thanet, we need more of this, our towns are a right mess because they are not cleaning like we pay them too.
It’s the principle though. This happens again and again across Margate. We pay our taxes and the council think it’s fine to miss collections, fail to collect for spurious reasons, and now they have started charging for some types of domestic waste to be recycled/disposed of at the tip. What a bunch of jokers. More power to Jordan for standing up for himself!
Useless Thanet council!!! empty property should have people living in them, not trapped birds.
Don’t believe TDC own it 😉
dear Ann bins are paid to be collected and the money given to the service is rather high and missed bins are becoming a trait of the poor services TDC deliver dear Ann and if you have dirty things in a bin that is not collected dear Ann it is then an Environmental issue and health hazard …even touching those dirty bins is an issue for illnesses
It’s not only a bin, thanet council keep on about recycling then don’t bother to collect it, also we pay council tax so empty the bins clean the streets stop cars parking on yellow lines and on footpaths open public toilets especially along sea fronts, people travel far to come to thanet it’s about time the council cleaned up and make our coast lines the place to come,
Good on you Jordan your only saying what the rest of us think but I also write then a stinking letter because of their excuses for not collecting my bin for over a month quite rightly the more people to complain makes them act. Do yr bit complain about your council
There is no point in e-mailing the chief executive as she never responds. A letter achieves the aim. Send to the Chief Executive Madeline. Homer Thanet District Council. PO Box 9 Margit Kent. CT9 1XZ. However, Viki Williams on behalf of Steve Matthews Acting Recycling and Waste Manager achieved the object, although 2 weeks later. [ Customer.Feedback@thanet.go.uk] Madeline is a bit busy at present. 😉
We have our very own Wolfie Smith, go Jordan
Jordan, you’re amazing! Start a revolution! Please consider joining protesters against live animal exports at the port of Ramsgate. https://www.facebook.com/kentactionagainstliveexports/
At last some one is doing something l hope this starts a fight back go jordon you are a hero
I threatened to put all our “green bin” garden waste in plastic sacks, get on the Loop bus and dump it in the TDC foyer after they missed our collections twice. The bloke on the phone said “You can’t do that – it’s fly-tipping”! I did point out that fly-tipping is dumping stuff anonymously whereas I would be inviting the media and local campaigners there to witness it. Lo and behold – bin collected next day!
If a neighbour puts their rubbish in your bin I find it therapeutic to post it back to them. You have to flatten the tins and break the glass into smaller pieces, but it does, eventually, go through the letterbox.
Fabulous!
You need to get out more
Thanet council didn’t empty our rubbish bins for 8 continuous weeks last year. We had to go to the tip every weekend for two months. The online form that you report missed collections is not actioned by anyone at the council and is a waste of time. I also threatened to take my rubbish to the council offices and was threatened with court action for fly tipping if I did. Try and get your local councillors involved, they helped me enormously.
Absolutely brilliant been tempted myself to do that as my bins get left time and time again we’ll done you
What a polite young man. Comes across very well, no shouting, no swearing can’t be labelled as vexatious or vindictive. He has just had enough! Like many Thanet Residents have with their services. It will take a public March which thousands attend to take a stand and tell them that they no longer want those running the council to run it any more. It’s time to give a couple of people on the highest wages their dismissals and then vote the committee system in. How long does it take to get yourselves organised and do what is right for your residents. Vote committee system in and hand out the dismissals that’s all you need to do to pick the council up and start to build public trust, that’s all 2 major things which can be done.
Jordan says it all with passion and honesty. We need more of this!
There is a Spanish word ‘manyana’ Which means tomorrow. If you phone Thanet council if you get through all they will say ‘tomorrow, if you phone the next day they will say tomorrow and so on and on, they are the manyana council, always tomorrow never today!!
Good on you! Typical of this useless authority ! Roads left in a disgusting state weeds growing everywhere, the few toilets left open are absolutely diabolical filthy smelly uncleaned if you doubt my word just pop in the in the loo at Margate centre it easy to find just follow your nose!
Roads are the responsibility of KCC, not TDC.
The main thing that gets my back up with TDC is the childish useless pre recorded voice on their telephones when you try and talk to a human. Menu after menu the stupid voice asked questions after questions after questions.
As for the bins and the lies on the side of the rubbish trucks “ Let’s sort it out” that’s a lie they want YOU to sort it out. I sort nothing out I pay for a BIFFA bin and THEY sort it out. I refuse to play stupid games with rubbish. This goes in that bin then this goes it that bin!!!!!!! No thanks.
I think people should sort out their own rubbish as much as possible. It’s not a game.
Ann
Would I be right in guessing your bins are emptied regularly? Were I use to live my bins were regular missed just mine not the neighbour’s. I would phone up and a few days later it would get emptied. It only stopped being missed when I threatened to empty my bins in TDC offices. It seems to be the only thing TDC understand. If you are polite and calm TDC just ignore you.
Well done Jordan on both counts saving the gull and for showing the council that you and many of the residents of thanet are fed up to the hilt with the refuse collection service the amount of time they. Miss collection of the bins and bags and breaking the bins is scandalous being on benefits I feel that I cannot complain about my bin damage and service issues to much as we only pay part council tax but we all are entitled to a service it has never been brilliant since they brought in two weekly collections. (Confused) I agree with you 100 % (Ann) do you still pay TDC for your rubbish collection as well as Biffa??
I’m 66 years old and have at long last found a proper echo warrior in Jordan Cross. Count me in on the revolution. I’ll start with the bins left on Ramsgate’s high street just down from the leisure centre… full to the brim and haven’t been emptied in weeks.
In order for us to live in pleasant surroundings we sweep our own road, tidy the public gardens and pull weeds around the tidal ball. So what are we paying council tax for?
He’s got a good point about getting off facebook and demanding change via direct action!
Well done Jordan, most of us agree with you on all your points mentioned whilst you walked to the council offices and back. The blue bins in our road are not emptied either and havent been this year. Most of the bins in the area have their lids missing due to not being lifted by the dustcart properly and thrown into the back with the rubbish and they are not returned either so now gulls live on top of the bins pulling all the rubbish out leaving a mess all over the streets here in Cliftonville West Ward. Constant use of the council website to report missed bins makes no difference either. They need to get a grip of the terrible services they provide for the money they demand from everyone.
I’m sure there are a lot of current TDC councillors who read these posts. Isn’t it about time a proper review was launched into the waste and recycling service. It’s clear that it isn’t fit for purpose and is failing all over Thanet. It’s a disgrace. Well done Jordan for putting more pressure on with direct action.
Thanet council are the worst in kent. Dover and folkstone put them to shame. All Thanet council care about is their salary pensions after all they are a Tory council. I moved from Thanet years ago for a better life and cleaner streets and bins that are emptied weekly.
You are spot on, l have lived in thanet for 20 years and with thanet council it’s all take they never invest in thanet at all, I’m wrong they do £3m on the town hall
Thats why I left Thanet gets Done and stuck in the past