Refuse and recycling

London Borough of Merton (18 018 884)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 18-Oct-2019

Summary: the Council delayed responding to queries about how new waste collection arrangements would work and failed to action the change to communal collections properly. That led to Mr B going to time and trouble to pursue his complaint and residents being confused about the dates for their waste collections. An apology and rectification of problems with the online missed collections system is satisfactory remedy for the injustice caused.

Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (19 001 769)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 17-Oct-2019

Summary: Mr C says the Council is at fault for stopping assisted waste collections at his house. He says his wife is disabled and he often works away from home. He says this causes them injustice as his wife cannot put the bins out. The Council was not at fault. It says Mr C does not qualify for such collections according to its policy but it will provide them if he provides evidence that he needs them. The Council was at fault because contractors occasionally failed to replace bins. As the Council has apologised, no further remedy is required.

Birmingham City Council (19 001 200)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 16-Oct-2019

Summary: Mr X complains the Council has repeatedly failed to collect his household waste and recycling on the scheduled days. Mr X also complains that when the waste is collected, the collection crew do not return the bins to collection point but are left obstructing the paths. There were failings in the Council's waste collection service which amount to fault. This fault has caused Mr X an injustice.

Eastleigh Borough Council (19 004 049)

Statement Not upheld Refuse and recycling 14-Oct-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman has discontinued his investigation of this complaint, about the timing of the Council's waste collections. This is because the Ombudsman cannot achieve the outcome the complainant seeks.

Birmingham City Council (19 002 667)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 14-Oct-2019

Summary: Mr X complains the Council has repeatedly failed to collect his household waste on the scheduled days or in a timely manner when a collection is missed. The Council's failure to make regular household waste collections since October 2018, amounts to fault. This fault has caused Mr X an injustice.

Birmingham City Council (19 002 435)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 11-Oct-2019

Summary: Miss X complains the Council has repeatedly failed to collect her household waste and recycling on the scheduled day or in a timely manner when collections were missed. The Council's failure to make regular household waste and recycling collections over an extended period, amounts to fault. This fault has caused Miss X an injustice.

Birmingham City Council (19 002 096)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 11-Oct-2019

Summary: Ms X complains that although she should receive assisted collection, the Council has repeatedly failed to collect her household waste and recycling on the scheduled day. The Council's repeated failure to collect Mrs X's household waste and recycling on the scheduled days, or in a timely manner when they are missed, amounts to fault. This fault has caused Mrs X an injustice.

Canterbury City Council (19 003 160)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 09-Oct-2019

Summary: Mr X complains about the Council's handling of his complaints about its refuse collectors, putting him to time and trouble. The Ombudsman finds the Council at fault in how it dealt with Mr X's complaint. The Ombudsman recommends the Council makes a payment to Mr X for his time and trouble and takes action to prevent recurrence.

London Borough of Tower Hamlets (18 015 046)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 09-Oct-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman upholds Ms X's complaint about the Council's contractor failing to return her bin to the correct location. The Council has not done enough to monitor the contractor's service delivery so the problem has persisted for longer than it should. The Council agreed to apologise to Ms X and make a payment to recognise the inconvenience and frustration caused. It will also carry out further monitoring of the contractor and report its findings to Ms X and the Ombudsman.

London Borough of Barnet (18 018 519)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 07-Oct-2019

Summary: Mr B says the Council failed to take effective action to ensure bin crews return his bins to his property and failed to follow its complaints procedure. The Council has not kept any evidence of its monitoring to show whether there is a continuing problem and has raised Mr B's expectations about what it considers acceptable. The Council delayed responding to complaints. Those faults raised Mr B's expectations and led to him having to go to time and trouble to pursue his complaint. An apology, small payment to Mr B, a meeting with Mr B and further monitoring is satisfactory remedy for the injustice caused.