Binmen 'refusing to collect bags at the bottom of wheelie bins'
Binmen are refusing to collect rubbish bags that have been wedged into the bottom of wheelie bins, residents in Canterbury are claiming.
People who live in the Kent area say their bins have been left still half full after collection because binmen are not willing to reach into bins to grab rubbish at the bottom.
A spokesperson for Canterbury City Council responded, saying that it was up to residents not to wedge bags at the bottom of wheelie bins, and that binmen do not have time to pull out tightly packed bags.
The spokesman told The Telegraph: “We consider a bin that has been partially emptied has not been missed, because the contractor has attended the property and attempted the collection.
“The bin is lifted onto the vehicle and given a thorough shake in order to get all of the rubbish out.
“If the resident has compacted their rubbish to such an extent that some has become wedged in, or put something in that has prevented other rubbish from coming out, it is their responsibility to resolve this so that the collection can take place on the next occasion.
“The bin crews have rounds to complete and it is not practical for them to take a stick and prod away at someone’s rubbish to try and loosen it up each time it has been compacted in so tightly at the bottom of the bin.”
Local resident Ian McMillan told The Telegraph his bins had not been fully empties for weeks.
He said: “My beef is not that my bin gets missed, rather that it has only been partially emptied.
“What’s wrong with using a stick to dislodge the bags if they are stuck?”
Waste collection in the area is contracted to Serco.
Figures released earlier this year show that the contractors have regularly missed targets rubbish collection, and the number of bins collected between April and September declined due to ‘vehicle breakdowns and adverse weather.’
