London Borough of Barnet (26 008 581)
Category : Environment and regulation > Refuse and recycling
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 23 Sep 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s refusal to empty his bin because it contained builders’ waste. There is not enough of evidence of fault to justify investigating.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council refused to empty his black bin because it contained scrap metal and wood from work he had been doing on his property. Mr X believes the Council has not previously told residents this type of waste is not allowed. Mr X says he does not drive to access Council Recycling Centres to dispose of the waste, which is now accumulating. He wants the Council to allow him to dispose of this waste in his black bin.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide:
- there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating, or
- any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
- further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council’s website confirms it does not allow builders’ waste to be disposed of in household black bins. The Council’s complaint responses to Mr X have also confirmed this and advised him he can dispose of the waste he has at its designated recycling centre. The Council also provides a bulky waste collection service to residents for a fee, which Mr X could use to arrange for collection of the DIY waste he has accumulated if he cannot access the recycling centre.
- There is not enough evidence of fault to suggest the Council is not properly following its waste collection policy. Because of this we will not investigate this complaint further.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify our involvement.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman