Controversial waste lorries are gobbling up more than 1,500 bins each year at a cost of £30,000 to the taxpayer. 

The Acorn Plus mechanical side-loading vehicles are “accidently ingesting” or “eating” over four bins a day in the Horsham area, with residents left to pick up the bill.

The “pioneering” new trucks, which were introduced in July 2009, have been lauded by council bosses for their efficiency and cost-cutting ability.

But a Freedom of Information request has revealed the new machines are far from perfect.

Last year 1,512 green-topped bins were replaced after damage caused by the trucks. The cost to the taxpayer was £28,319. 

In December 2011, Horsham District Council vowed to work on modifying the vehicle’s lifting arm.

However, a year later, even more bins, 1,594, were mangled by the trucks with the taxpayer forking out £29,855.

Ian Jopling, the council’s head of operations services, added the cost to residents would likely be even more as delivery expenses were excluded.

The Acorn Plus scheme was introduced to reduce labour costs. Residents have a designated area in which they must leave their bin.

A driver then pulls alongside and uses the vehicle’s mechanical arm to pick up and empty the waste.

However, it appears the machines are biting off more than they can chew with 3,106 containers “eaten” over the last two years.

North Horsham parish councillor Gavin Porter said most people appeared happy with the service. He added: “However, if anything is costing the taxpayer excessively then it needs
to be looked at.”

Steyning Councillor George Cockman added the “pioneering” scheme was bound to throw up problems.

He said: “If we were the tenth or fifteenth local authority using the scheme then we might not have encountered problems. But we are one of the first.

“It’s a technical piece of kit and is very skilled work. On the whole I think people are very pleased with it but we can’t afford to be complacent.”

The council said modifications had been carried out with the cooperation of the manufacturer and results were being evaluated.

If successful the improvements will be rolled out across all vehicles.

A spokeswoman added: “There are over 50,000 refuse bins in use in the district and we replace less than three per cent of these each year due to damage or falling into the vehicle during collection.

“A small number of bins are damaged by all collection systems and the Acorn system is not significantly worse than any other.

“Since its introduction the Acorn system has proved both cost effective and reliable, ensuring that residents get value for money and first rate recycling.”