Dudley's refuse collection chief has apologised for delayed bin collections after complaints the service is 'out of control'. Opposition politicians attacked the Conservative-run council after revealing data from the authority which shows the extent of the issue.
Collection delays by the numbers
Information published by Dudley's Labour group on June 24 says refuse collection was on average 30 percent behind schedule, food waste was 47 percent behind, dry recycling was 74 percent behind and green waste was 84 percent behind.
Cllr Asif Ahmed, Labour group spokesperson for neighbourhoods, said: 'Bins are still going uncollected for weeks on end – including the paid for green waste service. Residents have been patient, but their patience has now run out. The Conservative administration has lost control of this service, and the public can see it.'
Chemical leak worsens crisis
Collection services were disrupted in early June by a chemical leak at Dudley's Lister Road waste facility and council leaders say the incident has caused delays. Cllr Damian Corfield, Dudley cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: 'I know how frustrating missed and delayed collections have been, and I sincerely apologise to residents affected. As cabinet member, I want to reassure you that we are taking action to put things right.'
'The incident at Lister Road Depot on 10 June also had a significant impact, leading to over 30,000 delayed collections. Recovering from disruption on that scale while maintaining daily services is complex, and I want to thank our crews for the hard work they've put in under difficult circumstances.'
Concerns over health hazards
The problem has also been highlighted by Reform UK's Cllr Jan McGeough who says the introduction of new collections for food waste and recycling in April has not gone well. Cllr McGeough said: 'The new bin system has been chaotic from day one. I've had countless reports of missed collections in the Priory and Wren's Nest, with bins being left out for days cluttering the streets.'
'Whilst this doesn't justify illegal fly-tipping, I'm concerned it's having a knock-on effect here. Reports of it are up. Worryingly, I've even had reports of residents arriving home from work being greeted by food caddies overflowing with maggots. If we don't get on top of this, there will be serious environmental health issues too. It's not good enough.'
Council defends new service
Cllr Corfield added: 'Every week, we carry out around 300,000 collections across the borough, and it's fantastic to see how positively residents have responded to the new service, particularly food waste collections. In May alone, we collected more than 1,000 tonnes of food waste and an additional 500 tonnes of dry recycling, exceeding government expectations.'
'However, I recognise that this success has also placed extra pressure on our vehicles, crews and overall operations. Like many councils, we are facing challenges in recruiting qualified HGV drivers, which has meant relying on agency staff and overtime to keep services running.'
'We've increased and redesigned dry recycling and food waste collection rounds to better meet demand, and we're now applying the same approach to green waste collections. Additional vehicles are arriving, and we are actively recruiting permanent HGV drivers to strengthen the service for the long term.'
