More than 71,000 bin collections across South Gloucestershire were missed over just six weeks this summer – an average of almost 12,000 households a week.
Opposition Conservatives have accused the council’s Lib Dem/ Labour ruling coalition of running a waste service in ‘chaos’.
They say residents have suffered months of problems with kerbside rubbish and recycling rounds since the administration introduced three-weekly black bin days and hiked green waste charges in May.
South Gloucestershire Council’s latest briefing to councillors, based on data from mid-June to the end of July, revealed the scale of disruption.
Officers told members: “Across the period covered by the service breakdown, there were 71,000 recorded missed collections.”
The figures represent the total number of properties that did not have their rubbish collected during a round – a huge 60 per cent of the 118,000 homes in the district as of the 2021 Census, although many households are likely to have had their bin day missed on multiple occasions, so the proportion affected would be lower.
The council has apologised and said a combination of factors, including extreme heat, had caused the issues.
In July, the council fined its kerbside collections contractor Suez for its ‘appalling’ service.
The authority said at the time that the company was in breach of its contract as waste, including nappies, piled up on the streets.
Successive heatwaves over the summer, which forced crews to work slower and finish early before the temperatures became unbearable, combined with new collection routes and reduced black bin collections, have caused confusion and missed bin days.
The previous month, the councillor in charge of waste and recycling, cabinet member for communities and local place Cllr Sean Rhodes, resigned as he defected from Labour to become the Green Party’s first ever South Gloucestershire unitary authority councillor.
Speaking about the 71,000 missed collections, Tory group leader Cllr Liz Brennan said: “Residents have endured a summer of chaos.
“The administration has failed to deliver even the basic services people pay for.
“The Conservative group opposed these waste changes from the start because we knew they would lead to exactly this kind of disruption.
“Residents deserve better than missed collections, higher charges and excuses.”
She said the new cabinet member for communities and local place, Labour Cllr John Bradbury, confirmed that residents would not receive any refund or rebate for the weeks of missed collections, despite paying more for green bin services and receiving reduced black bin collections.
Cllr Liz Brennan said: “Residents have been asked to pay more less by accepting these changes, and now they will not receive any kind of remuneration for not receiving the basic service their council tax pays for.
“The situation is completely unacceptable.”
The Conservatives are urging the coalition to conduct a full review of the waste service changes, restore reliability and resilience ahead of future heatwaves, and provide transparency on contractor performance.
They say residents are ‘rightly frustrated’ and that the council must act urgently to restore confidence.
A council spokesperson said: “Although the vast majority of waste and recycling collections went ahead as planned on their scheduled day, the prolonged periods of extreme heat this summer have had a significant impact across South Gloucestershire.
“Waste collection is physically demanding outdoor work involving long periods in direct sunlight and repetitive manual handling.
“During periods of extreme heat, collection crews have to adapt working arrangements to protect their safety and wellbeing.
“We used weather forecasts to plan collection arrangements in advance and reviewed conditions throughout the day.
“Factors such as temperature, cloud cover and the length of time crews worked in the heat were all considered.
“In some cases, collection rounds had to end early to protect crews from the hottest conditions.
“During the disruption, priority was given to black bin and hygiene and nappy waste collections due to the potential public health impacts of delaying those services.
“As a result, some recycling collections were delayed or missed.
“The disruption was particularly challenging because there were several periods of extreme heat in quick succession.
“Just as services were recovering from one period of disruption, further hot weather led to additional delays and extended the recovery period.
“Recovering these collections took time, as delayed recycling often results in larger volumes being presented the following week, increasing collection times, and placing additional pressure on vehicles and crews.
“The introduction of three-weekly black bin collections in May has changed how resources are deployed across the service.
“Fewer vehicles are now required for black bin collections, while additional resources have been allocated to recycling collections to manage increased volumes of recyclable material.
“Green bin collections have continued unchanged.
“The new hygiene and nappy waste service introduced four dedicated collection vehicles, and separate resources continue to be provided for flats.
“Vehicle reliability was also a factor in the disruption.
“Some recycling vehicles experienced issues during the hot weather.
“The recycling fleet is approaching the end of its operational life and is due to be replaced next year.
“In response, our household waste and recycling contractor Suez has increased the number of spare vehicles available to the contract, secured replacement parts to enable faster repairs, and made modifications to improve ventilation around components affected by high temperatures.
“We recognise that some residents have experienced missed or delayed collections and apologise for the disruption caused.
“We continue to work closely with Suez every day to improve reliability, resolve outstanding issues and restore normal service as quickly as possible.”
