London Borough of Newham (24 013 978)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 19-Aug-2025

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to provide an adequate recycling refuse collection, served her with a fixed penalty notice for fly tipping rubbish and did not respond to her missed bin complaints. The Council was at fault when it sent a letter regarding the waste offence to the incorrect address which meant Miss X missed the opportunity to present her case. The Council also failed to explain how residents of flats can report problems with refuse collection. The Council will apologise and pay Miss X £200 to acknowledge the uncertainty, frustration and distress this caused. The Council will also update its website to clearly explain how residents living in flats can report missed bin collections.

Birmingham City Council (25 001 869)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Refuse and recycling 19-Aug-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about missed bin collections before and during industrial strike action. We have no jurisdiction to investigate matters which affect all or most people in the Council’s area, and the missed collection before the strike action does not cause a significant enough injustice.

Leicester City Council (24 019 590)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Refuse and recycling 18-Aug-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to issue the complainant with a larger bin. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Cheshire East Council (25 006 844)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Refuse and recycling 18-Aug-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s delay in replacing her bin. This is because the Council apologised for the delay and an investigation is unlikely to achieve any additional outcome. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s poor communication because the claimed injustice is not significant enough to warrant our involvement.

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (24 019 479)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 17-Aug-2025

Summary: Ms X complained the Council repeatedly failed to collect her household recycling from May 2023 to January 2025. We find the Council at fault for the missed collections, which caused Ms X frustration and inconvenience. The Council has apologised to Ms X, which is a suitable remedy for her injustice. Therefore, we have not recommended anything further.

Cheshire East Council (25 006 195)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Refuse and recycling 17-Aug-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council delayed delivering a replacement garden waste bin and refused to refund part of its service charge. This is because the claimed injustice is not significant enough to warrant an investigation by the Ombudsman.

Wakefield City Council (25 002 186)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Refuse and recycling 17-Aug-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a missed bin collection. There is nothing worthwhile to be achieved through further investigation.

Milton Keynes Council (25 005 119)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Refuse and recycling 13-Aug-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the overcrowding of his driveway due to a refuse bin provided by the Council. This is because the complaint is late without good reason to investigate it now and the courts and insurers are better placed to consider the complaint.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council (24 019 243)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 12-Aug-2025

Summary: Mr X complained how the Council handled matters when it issued him with a Fixed Penalty Notice. He says the Council failed to follow government guidance and it did not give him an opportunity to resolve matters informally. We find the Council was at fault for its failure to follow government guidance without good reason. This caused Mr X frustration and inconvenience. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mr X, make a payment to him and implement service improvements.

Eastbourne Borough Council (25 005 921)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Refuse and recycling 12-Aug-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council failed to collect his recycling on one occasion and cancelled two re-scheduled collections without notice because the Council already apologised, collected the recycling, and put in place monitoring. An investigation is unlikely to achieve any additional outcome. We will not investigate his complaint about the Council’s complaint handling because the claimed injustice is not significant enough.