Binmen refusing to remove bags wedged at the bottom of wheelie bins

Binmen are refusing to get their hands dirty by removing bags wedged at the bottom of wheelie bins – much to the annoyance of residents.

Householders in Canterbury, Kent, have been left fuming after finding their bins are still half full after waste collections.

After contacting the council to complain, they were told it was their own fault for ‘packing the bags in too tightly’ and that binmen do not have time to yank the bags out of the wheelie bins.

One local, Ian McMillan, said his bins have not been emptied properly for weeks, adding: ‘What’s wrong with using a stick to dislodge the bags if they are stuck?’ 

Another, Claire Green, said: ‘All I do is put the bin bags in the wheelie bin – I don’t squish them in that hard. 

‘It gets very annoying when you find two bags at the bottom of the bin as you don’t have enough room for the waste for the upcoming week and have to take them to the dump.’

Binmen are refusing to get their hands dirty by removing bags wedged at the bottom of wheelie bins – much to the annoyance of residents [File photo]

A spokesman for Canterbury City Council, which contracts out its bin collections to Serco, told the Kentish Gazette: ‘The bin is lifted on to the vehicle and given a thorough shake to get all of the rubbish out. 

‘If the resident has compacted their rubbish to such an extent that some has become wedged in, it is their responsibility to resolve this so collection can take place.

‘The 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 to loosen it up each time it has been compacted in so tightly at the bottom of the bin.’