Data from the Dudley Labour Group showed that refuse collections were running on average 30% behind schedule. Food waste collections were reported to be 47% behind, while dry recycling collections lagged by 74% and green waste by 84%.
The figures promoted criticism from opposition politicians, who suggested that mounting delays could create public health risks as rubbish remained uncollected for extended periods.
In some areas, services were said to be running behind by “weeks”, sparking complaints from residents.
Bin collections delayed due to strain on vehicles and crews
The disruption follows the introduction of expanded recycling and food waste services across the borough, which the council says have been met with strong public participation.
Responding to the criticism, councillor Daiman Corfield, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods at Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, apologised to affected households and said the authority was taking steps to address the issues.
He commented: “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.”
Corfield said that the council carries out around 300,000 collections each week and highlighted what he described as strong uptake of the new service, particularly food waste collections.
However, he acknowledged that the increased material throughput had placed additional strain on vehicles, collection crews and wider operations.
Corfield added: “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.
“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.”
Corfield also pointed to disruption caused by an incident at the council’s Lister Road depot on 10 June, which he said resulted in more than 30,000 delayed collections.
The council said it has already begun redesigning dry recycling and food waste rounds to better reflect demand and is now applying the same approach to green waste collections.
Additional vehicles are also being brought into service, while recruitment for permanent HGV drivers continues as part of efforts to stabilise collections over the longer term.
Corfield said the authority remained committed to delivering “a consistent, high-quality waste and recycling service” for residents.
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