A local council is under fire after failing to collect residents’ food waste because the weather was too hot for the bin collectors.
Residents in Bournemouth and Poole in Dorset say their food bins are ‘writhing with maggots’ because the council haven’t collected the rotting waste in the heatwave.
Many say their bins haven’t been collected for two weeks but others have reported going as many as five weeks without a collection.
They say the small bins are becoming unhygienic and smell rancid, causing issues with flies, maggots and rats.
BCP Council said the health and safety of their staff was a top priority and it has been too hot for crews to go out on some days
They also blamed the heat causing mechanical failures with the bin lorries for the pile up of rubbish as well as a staffing issue.
Lyn Moreland said her block of 36 flats in Boscombe, Bournemouth, went four weeks without having their food bins collected as temperatures regularly reached over 30C.
She said: “I had been phoning to report it, I had to wait on hold for 25 minutes to speak to someone. They had obviously been overwhelmed with people phoning.
“I know it’s not the staff’s fault, they are doing their best.
“But I’m a director of a block of 36 flats. We each have food caddies and then put the bag of food waste into a bigger brown bin for collection once a week.
“They rolled the new system out in April and we only had two collections between then and June so it’s not just because of the heat.
“They didn’t have the staff or facilities in place for the roll-out. And they haven’t got the money to employ more staff.
“After four weeks it was absolutely full and the smell was horrendous.
“There were flies everywhere and probably maggots, I didn’t dare look to the bottom.
“When they finally emptied it I think it was so full and heavy the machinery has actually buckled the lid, so it’s only been emptied three times and it’s already damaged.”
Sharon Valler, from Muscliff, Bournemouth, said her food bin hasn’t been emptied for several weeks.
She said: “It’s absolutely full of flies and maggots and it smells really bad.
“I really feel for [the crews]. It’s not a job I would have wanted to do myself but at the same time we do need to find some solution.”
Mark Young said his road had only had one food waste collection in a month.
He said: “We are paying for a service the council is not providing.”
Susan Huskinson said: “The problem with food bins not being collected are maggots, so we cannot open our windows at the front because of flies everywhere, as well as smells.”
Aimee Francis said: “That food waste bin is starting to attract unwanted critters after already not being emptied for two weeks – flies, maggots and rats. We pay taxes for this service and it cannot be fulfilled.
Resident Mark Petrauskas said: “We get that it’s hot. But it’s hot for everyone. It’s extremely unsanitary to leave food out in this weather and everyone else works in the summer.”
BCP Council rolled out a new food waste collection service in April this year, crewing up six new lorries for food waste collections.
Andy Hadley, BCP Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for the environment, said: “There has been a whole host of issues.
“In this heat some of the mechanics doesn’t work, the hydraulics systems have a problem with extreme heat.
“Also recruitment and retention of staff, that’s a national problem. We are doing everything we can to make it a reliable service.
“It is a tough job, they are out in all weathers but it’s so hot we have actually had to stop the service in the very hottest conditions for the welfare of the staff.
“We are starting collections earlier in the heat – 5am.”
A spokesperson for BCP Council added that the health and safety of their refuse collectors was their top priority.
They said: “The continuing hot weather, added to current staff shortages, means that some waste and recycling collections, including food waste, are delayed.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience and doing what we can to resolve it.
“The temperature at the back of the refuse truck gets extremely high in hot weather. This means crews need to work more slowly, and there is also an increased risk of vehicle breakdowns.
“The health and safety of our crews remain our top priority. We know delays are frustrating, especially in the heat.”
