To think it's unacceptable to say we have to wait another two weeks.

[CheesePizzas]

Today was our general waste bin day, they are alternative weeks with recycling as I imagine is similar in most parts of the country.

I'd had a clear out over half term so our rubbish bin is full but the lid still closes. Our bin was not emptied today, none of the streets bins were emptied, nor the bins on one of the street adjoining ours, the other streets from what I can see have had their bins emptied.

There is no reason the bin lorry couldn't have emptied our streets bins e.g poor parking or no access so I rang to report the bins had not been collected as per the instructions on the website and whilst she noted the whole street had been missed apparently there is nothing they can do until the next collection date in two weeks. Our council no longer come back for missed collections even if the whole street has been missed.

The women on the phone could not understand why this wasn't really an acceptable solution and all she could offer as an alternative was for residents to use the tip whilst reminding me that if the bins were too full next time they came to collect they wouldn't be collected. AIBU to think this is not a solution and that the crew should come back out to collect?

This kind of stuff drives me mad. I have no help or solution for you, but just thought I'd offer my sympathy as I'd be fuming. Hopefully someone else will come along with more helpful advice.

Contact your local MP.
The fact it's an entire street means they need to come back.

Contact your local Councillor

I had that with my garden waste bin. Even when I sent them proof of the bin men parking next to it and completely ignoring it, I was told it would be caught up in a fortnight's time. I emailed the council and my local mp (who didn't even reply) and was told there was nothing they could do.
I'm just glad it wasn't my general waste bin as that would be a nightmare. It's ludicrous that they can miss a whole street and not come back for it.

your local councillor should be able to help. This is exactly what they deal with.

Our website says they will come back for it within 2 days but they didn't!

How annoying, they should also be taking extra bags at the side of the bins because if people have put a full bin out then of course over the next 2 weeks there’s going to be more rubbish. I would just take it to the tip myself so it doesn’t build up but it’s wrong to assume everyone can do that

They don't care. I asked for a replacement bin because it had been damaged by the bin crew and was told I'd get it free this time but nxt time I'd have to pay. Excuse me?

Perhaps as a street you could all dump your weekly rubbish out side the council offices? Sure they would feel the need to have it collected then

I will contact our local councillor but don't hold out much hope unfortunately. I was just pretty frustrated that she was so dismissive and didn't seem to see why not everyone would be able to just magically get themselves to the tip.

It's incredibly tempting. I suspect if it was the councillors bins they would go back and collect them.

It’s worth keeping in mind the person you’re talking to is a call handler. Not someone who has any power over what happens.

Where we are, if bins are missed they’ll take bagged rubbish next time. Might be worth complaining to councillor and see if can get that agreed.

Unfortunately mistakes happen and they can't reroute collections for the rest of the week just to come back to your street.

Don't dump it at your council offices as you could be fined for fly tipping. Definitely contact your local councillor & encourage your neighbours to do the same.

Taking it to your local tip is probably not a solution - my local tip won't take 'black bin bags' no doubt yours is the same.

As much as I'd like to I'm not going to dump it but that's interesting about the tip not actually taking general waste I hadn't even checked.

I appreciate it will disrupt their routes but equally I don't see why they can't come back at the end of a shift and collect it, it's not our fault it's not been collected yet we're the ones who will have to make do for the next few weeks.

Interestingly I've just spoken to a neighbour who also rang to report it and apparently the bloke he spoke to lied said the street hadn't been missed and it must have been just his bin because he didn't have the lid closed or something.

Our entire road was missed due to blocked access (why the people concerned didn’t tell anyone in advance when they had plenty of opportunity) but they came back on the weekend and did the lot.

We had our rubbish missed a few weeks ago. When we got in touch with them we were told to leave it outside and it would be collected the following day, which is was so it's perfectly possible for them to re-route if they want to.

Your councils both sound very proactive. I'm not expecting them to work weekends nor am I demanding them come asap but I don't see why it's impossible for them to come an any point in the next two weeks.

I work for a council (not in waste though). Contact them & ask to make a formal complaint about your bin being missed. And also them to send you the relevant policy about how they deal with missed collections. Both of these might make them change your mind about coming back for them & if not, it may cause issues further down the line when they have to report in their complaints etc. Get every one of your neighbours to do the same thing - give them so much to do that it makes more sense for them to come back.

Also, where I live & work (different local authorities), both would come back within 2 days max to collect. If it was their fault & it was reported before they clocked off that day, they'd be sent round at the end of their shift to do it.

Good luck

Our council would also collect on the next day, even if it is at the weeek end.
Oh and we still have weekly collections!

Ours was missed and I rang and explained that this is a residential park for older people and not many people have cars to get to the tip. The very helpful lady said she would do her best to get them to come and they did.
Shocked and stunned doesn't cover it.
But they missed again this week and I reported it online but will ring tomorrow because I don't think they bother if only a couple of people complain.
They're quick enough firing off letters if council tax is 5 minutes late though.

I emailed the council and my local mp (who didn't even reply)

It's not your MP's job to chase up waste collections. It's your local councillor's responsibility.

What annoys me is what happens to the idiot drivers who block the access for the bin lorries. There’s an idiot or two top of my cul de sac that park like idiots, they get their bins emptied but the rest of us don’t.

to be fair my local council are good at doing missed collections, even individual ones, like the worker who just walked straight past my general collection bin. You can report online and they usually come out the next day on the Saturday.

Saying that my general waste bin is every 3 weeks. No way could I go 6 weeks with no collection

I bet if you turn up at the tip with black bags of mixed household waste non-recyclable they'll not take them! I missed a bin collection whilst 7 months pregnant and in a bit of a shambles, fortnightly collection here too, so took a couple of bags to the dump. Horrible fella there said there are recycling centres but not general dumps and i should take it home again. I cried a bit and he reconsidered but really.

Do you know any neighbours who could also put in a complaint? Did you ask if additional black bags could be put out in addition to the wheely bin?

My mums solution in a similar situation was to distribute her household waste at every opportunity when she was out. I realise this isn't ideal, but for 2 weeks, it was doable for her. Instead of using a large bin bag, she put her daily waste into smaller, carrier type bags. Whenever she went to a supermarket, petrol station or high street, she'd get rid of one in the bins there.