London Borough of Croydon (20 009 070)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 11-May-2021

Summary: Mr X complains about the Council's handling of reports he made of flytipping on the street where he lives. The complaint was closed because Mr X has not suffered a degree of injustice that warrants further pursuit of the complaint by, or a remedy from, the Ombudsman.

Birmingham City Council (20 007 641)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 04-May-2021

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to collect the communal recycling from her block of maisonettes, while collecting the recycling from the rest of the street, for over three months. The Council's repeated failure to collect Miss X's recycling on the scheduled days amounts to fault. This fault has caused an injustice.

London Borough of Enfield (20 002 195)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 30-Apr-2021

Summary: The Council is at fault for regularly missing Mr X's bin collections over a two year period. It also delayed in responding to Mr X's complaint about this service failure. The Council has agreed to remedy Mr X's injustice.

Birmingham City Council (20 007 434)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 21-Apr-2021

Summary: Mr X complained the Council repeatedly failed to collect his household waste or recycling on the scheduled day or in a timely manner when collections were missed. He complained the accumulation of uncollected waste was unsightly and attracted vermin. The Council's repeated failure to collect Mr X's household waste and recycling amounts to fault. This fault has caused an injustice.

Darlington Borough Council (19 020 202)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 16-Apr-2021

Summary: the Council failed to carry out cleansing of the lane next to Mr B, confiscated his bin without notice, delayed returning the bin and delayed responding to his complaint. This caused Mr B distress, led to him having to dispose of his own refuse and led to him going to time and trouble to pursue his complaint. An apology and payment to Mr B, along with a monitoring schedule to ensure the lane is cleansed fortnightly, is satisfactory remedy.

Norwich City Council (20 001 108)

Statement Not upheld Refuse and recycling 14-Apr-2021

Summary: Ms B complains the Council failed to regularly empty market trade bins and prevent human fouling and litter near her home. We find no fault as the Council responded promptly to Ms B's reports and concerns. We cannot question the merits of the approach the Council took to bin collections and street cleaning during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because the action was in line with government guidance at the time.

Birmingham City Council (20 006 040)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 13-Apr-2021

Summary: Miss X complains the Council has repeatedly failed to collect the communal waste from a small block of flats which has led to an accumulation of waste, which is untidy, smells and attracts flies. The Council's repeated failure to collect the communal waste amounts to fault. The action taken and the apology given are a sufficient remedy.

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (20 007 284)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 08-Apr-2021

Summary: Mr X complains about the way the Council is emptying his bin. He says the refuse collects are leaving rubbish behind and not closing his bid lid. We find fault with the Council. We have made recommendations.

Brighton & Hove City Council (19 020 019)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 08-Apr-2021

Summary: We found the Council at fault in not providing a regular bin collection service to Mr X. While the Council had improved the service, it also agreed to send Mr X a written apology to address the frustration and distress the repeated missed collections had caused him.

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council (19 019 076)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 26-Mar-2021

Summary: Mrs B complains the Council has repeatedly failed to collect her bins on the scheduled day and return them to the agreed location outside her house. Mrs B says she has experienced frustration and inconvenience due to this. The Ombudsman finds the Council at fault. To remedy the injustice Mrs B has experienced, the Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X, make a payment to reflect the injustice caused and make certain service improvements.