Bins not collected for almost two months

[Sickofoursmellybins]

I live in an apartment building. Our recycling bins have not been collected in more than 6 weeks despite the council website saying they have been collected as scheduled. Multiple neighbours have called to complain multiple times. They say they’ll be collected within the next couple of days but they aren’t. Someone called again this morning and at the end of the conversation the person from the council said they “don’t have authority over them”. What?

We also logged a complaint on the website, no response.

Anyone has any experience with this? Can we take this to the local government ombudsman? Are there other options?

it’s disgusting, the whole building is starting to smell.

the bins are in a secure bin room. I wonder if they’ve lost the key and they are not communicating effectively.

Could you email your local mp, see if they can do anything about it?

How long ago did you log the complaint? I would call them again, and ask them to email you a copy of their complaints procedure.

Do you know what day and time they are meant to come?
Could you or one of your neighbours be outside when they arrive and speak directly to the binmen?
I lived in one block where indeed they didn't have a key and another building that was accidentally classed as an "estate" so they sent the wrong type of dustcart (one for dumpsters rather than wheelie bins).

@Needmorelego unfortunately I know the date but not the time, but this is a very good call. I’ll ask my downstairs neighbours to keep an on the window and see if they will catch them.

@Pootles34 thanks for the suggestion. I didn’t know this was something our MP could deal with! Most of our communications with the council were over the phone regrettably. It’s going to be hard to prove that they haven’t come in 6+ weeks.

Could your bin collection be outsourced to a private firm?
Just wondered if that's why the council don't have the power
I live in private flats and that's what happens here
So frustrating for you though as it can attract rats

@Normallynumb this is probably what is happening. But that’s not an excuse, they can’t delegate the responsibility, we pay our council tax to them and they are responsible for the bin collection regardless of whether they do it themselves or not.

(just venting, I know you weren’t suggesting that it isn’t responsibility)

It’s not your MP you need, it’s your local councillor you need to go to.

You’ve been speaking to the council, i.e. the people who manage the day-to-day operations of the council. You need to find the elected representative for your ward and get them to take it up with the council.

I agree with you
Such a simple ask but councils are known for red tape! Well they are where I am) I waited a month for a sofa to be collected( paid for)
They kept saying it had been collected
God knows whose sofa, but it wasn't mine!

I had a problem with bin collections a few years ago. Got nowhere with the council. Got my local councillor involved and she got the issue sorted in no time.

Email your local councillors

Thank you, everyone. I have now sent an email to one of our local councillors.

Tell your local ward cllr.