Revealed: number of complaints to councils over unemptied bins

FOI request highlights missed collections since 2015 17,000 recorded in Ards and North Down over period

MORE than 4,000 bin collections were missed in the Ards and North Down Borough Council area this year, new figures reveal.

A Freedom of Information request from the Belfast Telegraph asked all 11 local councils how many complaints they had received over missed collections each year since 2015.

The response from Ards and North Down showed nearly 17,000 had been missed over the period.

This year, from January to December 8, 4,370 collections were missed — the equivalent of 11 every day.

The total is around 900 more than last year’s figure of 3,472, and well above missed collections in 2018 (3,613).

The council said the figures were down to an increase in people working from home, “inconsiderate parking”, and improved data collection.

Several other councils responded, but the results vary according to how the data was recorded.

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council said that 2,962 complaints about missed bin collections had been received in 2020 by December 22.

This is 1,000-plus more than last year’s 1,632, with an overall total of 12,823 complaints since records began in November 2015.

Causeway Coast and Glens recorded 5,622 complaints since 2015, including 1,109 so far for this year, which is 145 more than in 2019.

However, much lower complaint figures were recorded for both Derry City and Strabane District Council and Mid Ulster

District Council.

Derry City and Strabane recorded just four complaints over missed bin collections during 2020, with only 45 complaints recorded since records began back in 2015.

Mid Ulster said that since its environmental services section started to record such complaints in 2018, a total of six had been made.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said it was unable to provide the information as “it is not possible to determine how many complaints were valid and did not relate to the non-presentation of a refuse bin”.

Responses on missed bin collections in the remaining five council areas had yet to be received.

Ards and North Down said that all bins missed by the main collection are picked up before the end of the weekly cycle, in some cases on the same day.

“There are a number of reasons that may have contributed to the increasing ‘missed collection’ statistics,” it added.

“The council has installed new ‘in-cab’ devices to its fleet of bin collection vehicles on a gradual basis during the past number of years.

“As more of these devices have been installed, it has allowed us to collect more accurate information.

“Furthermore, with specific reference to 2020, more residents have been working at home and inconsiderate parking has been an ongoing problem.”

The council added the increase in missed collections was not connected to a recent decision to trial a monthly collection service for general waste.

‘There are a number of reasons that may have contributed to the “missed collection” statistics’