Town Hall chiefs have apologised for bins being missed during rounds saying the teams are still playing catch up after snow and ice caused disruption in Bolton.
Council officers say they are making every effort to ensure bins are emptied and have thanked residents for their understanding.
A spokesman for Bolton Council said: “Snow and ice in January caused significant disruption to waste and recycling collections across the UK.
“In Bolton, every effort is made to make good on missed collections, but this is not always possible.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and thank residents for their understanding.”
Among the residents waiting to have their bin collected is Peter Holden, who says his burgundy bin has not been emptied since before Christmas.
He lives on Old Nursery Fold, Harwood, and says the bin has not being emptied for four weeks.
Mr Hoden said the council is ‘usually very reliable’ but ‘better contingency plans’ should be in place.
He said he put his bins out on December 21, and they were collected but then on the next collection date, January 18, the bins were missed.
When they were not collected his wife contacted the council who said to leave them out and if not collected, they would be picked up on the next scheduled collection, February 15.
The 58-year-old said it has caused problems for himself and other residents in the area who have had more rubbish due to the festive period.
Mr Holden said: “Our red bin, which is for bottles, cans, and plastics should be emptied every four weeks.
“It was last emptied on Thursday, December 21, and after an expectedly busy festive period it was full but was due to be emptied again on Thursday, January 18 but the snow and ice meant it was unable to be done which is totally understandable.
“Despite numerous calls from residents of Old Nursery Fold, Harwood we were told that if they weren’t emptied by the weekend then we would have to wait until the next scheduled collection, February 15.
“A number of neighbours contacted the council, and my wife made a call too and they said' oh yes leave them out and we will hopefully get round to them' and they’re still out.
“We kept them out and cleaned up as they were blown over during storms Isha and Jocelyn in the increasingly forlorn hope that Bolton Council would deliver what they had promised.
Peter's full burgundy bin (Image: Peter Holden)
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“It is a first world problem and usually they are very reliable and all the rest of it but it’s just when you pay council tax the most tangible return we see from our council tax is our bin collection and this should be delivered.
“Our bins have not been collected since December 21 which was the Thursday before Christmas.
“When my wife rang, we asked what do we do with the rubbish can we put it in a sack and leave it by the bin and they said no its their policy they don’t collect anything else.
“You would think if they can’t be collected then the council would have some form of contingency.
“Myself and others feel disappointed because you think well what are you paying your council tax for, and I do understand that these things happen but there should be contingency plans better than take it to the tip.
“We are quite keen to recycle, and you think all parts of the system should work together and it’s the fact that there is no real contingency really to cater for these situations which is the most disappointing factor.
“The failure of Bolton Council in emptying our bins is unacceptable and needs calling out and the ‘advice’ received from Bolton Council to resolve this issue is unacceptable.
“The Bolton Council policy regarding additional waste bags is inflexible and not fit for purpose in situations like this one.”
Cllr Less Webb, Conservative councillor for Bradshaw, said: “The service has been shocking since Christmas and one that appears to have been completely under resourced for, no acknowledgement of climatic effects of bad weather and recovery plans which aren’t fit for purpose.
“We wouldn’t need to be leaning so heavily on community champions and litter pickers going out in all weathers and volunteering if the bins had been emptied.”
A spokesperson for Bolton Council told The Bolton News previously that staff are also not permitted to ‘manually handle loose, black bags in accordance with health and safety legislation due to sharps injuries’.
If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.
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