New labels introduced to tell residents why their wheelie-bins are not being collected

Labels will be attached to bins that are too heavy to collect or that contain 'contaminants'



Thousands of people will finally get answers as to why their wheelie-bins have been left unemptied as new ‘contamination’ labels are rolled out across the city from today.

The new labels have been created by Coventry council to help homeowners identify why collection crews have not collected their general waste, recycling or garden waste bins.

Residents have also been told their green-lidded waste bins will not be cleared if “extra waste” is left in them.

Refuse workers will attach the explanatory labels to the unemptied bin and give a description of why there was an issue with the collection.

The labels state that once the issue has been resolved, the bin will be emptied on the next scheduled collection day for that type of bin.

Coun Rachel Lancaster, cabinet member public services, said: “We collect around 50,000 bins a day but there are a small number of bins which we are unable to collect.

“The most common reasons for this are that the bins contain items we cannot collect or because they are too heavy.

“It is important the right items go into the bins as putting things that we can’t collect into the recycling or garden bins can contaminate whole loads and cause problems with the recycling process.”

Refuse workers will check the top of each bin to see if there is any wrongly-placed rubbish. If the bin is emptied and they find a contaminant, a label will still be put on the bin to avoid a recurring issue.

According to the labels, blue-lidded recycling bins and brown-lidded garden waste bins will also not be emptied if they contain plastic bin bags.

All bins, apart from recycling bins, will not be emptied if they are too heavy.

Coun Lancaster added: “Anyone that gets a tag should deal with whatever issue has been identified and then put the bin back out for their next scheduled collection day.

“If we have been unable to empty the bin for any other reason such as access issues or vehicle breakdowns, we will of course be back as soon as we can to collect.”

Stupid woman! Just what weight is too heavy? If she can't give a figure she has no right making the statement.

I believe any bin that can't be pulled by just two fingers is considered to be 'overloaded'?

I believe any bin that can't be pulled by just two fingers is considered to be 'overloaded'?

Depends just on how you load it. Something I regularly prove to my missus with her shopping trolley. It's all to do with CoG relative to the axle line.

Bottom line here is that there is no definitive answer, it's all very subjective. The Ginger Gnome would best help by keeping quiet: something she seems incapable of doing.

It depends on which bin men you get there s one inspects every bin there is also a spitefull one most are pleaseant there never use to be trouble before why then these past few years when new ones come on is there trouble if they dont like the job I am sure there are lots of youngsters would be grateful for the job. You dont need to use the recycling bins I was told by the office you can put all your rubbish in the one bin be it garden or recycle stuff. I personally know two dustbin men one was a next door neighbour his nick name was Uncle a Jamacian also one as a friend through the bin collection name Dennis he will vouch I always gave them a fiver tip each christmas I no longer give any thing now all because of a few with bad attitudes.

As for the weight thats all to do with the arm attached to the bin lorry on lifting the weight I was told which is understandable in which there fore they should know the weight , then are we to weigh each bit we put into each bin if so are they going to provide a weighing machine.

Considering a lot of this rubbish is being sold and they are making money out of it also is nt the house hold rubbish burned to create heat for the Cathedral which lowered the cost of entry to visit the Cathedral.

Nine-year-old Lacey McMillan was able to move the bin several metres further than city's professional collectors



A Coventry resident says his local bin men should be “ashamed” after he filmed his nine-year-old daughter moving a wheelie bin they refused to collect after branding it too heavy.

Firefighter Paul McMillan, from Cheylesmore, said he took the footage to embarrass the refuse collectors who he suggested had gone soft compared to the bin men of the past who used to carry rubbish away on their backs.

He insisted there was nothing unusual in the bin and that there was still space inside when he put it out to be emptied on Tuesday.

But when he returned later that day a sticker had been placed on the un-emptied container informing him that the bin was too heavy to be collected.

To prove just how manageable the bin was, he asked daughter Lacey to show the council workers how it’s done.

Mr McMillan told the Telegraph: “She plays a lot of sport, football and tennis, but bodybuilding isn’t something she’s taken up. She certainly doesn’t have superhuman strength.”

“Being a bin man used to be a manual job, they used to carry it on their back, and now it’s like this.

“It’s not a massive thing in the grand scheme of things, but the reason I put the video out there was to embarrass them. I was hoping someone would see it and feel ashamed because it is pathetic to be honest.

“We have had bins heavier than that collected before but for some reason this one wasn’t.”

He added that his wife had been told if the bin was too heavy the refuse trucks couldn’t lift it and that he’d also heard bin collectors had been advised to leave bins they could not move with three fingers.

He said: “There’s no way it would be too heavy for the wagon. There should be a weight limit, but if there is they should tell people what the limit is.

“We have had to take some of the rubbish around my mum’s and it’s put me out and it’s put my mum out.”

Frankly, I'd sack those involved and give the job(s) to someone that would do what they were paid to do.

And to end any doubt about what is too heavy, I'd retro fit scales to the bin lifting arms. - As an ex instrumentation engineer, I can tell you that wouldn't be difficult or too costly.

Lets hope the fire fighter who s bin was nt collected has the same attitude if he is ever on a call out to these people homes or when they need help from his service.

So what are we suppose to do with the waste they dont collect which we pay for them to take away dump it in the streets which would cause rat infestation also will these people get a council tax rebate . There is a difference between one persons rubbish to having a family s rubbish load and not every one has cars to take it to the tip . I have known really heavy bins been taken and the arm has lifted with out any problem . Perhaps we should return to black bags there was no trouble like this then. Why give such large sized bins if they dont want us to fill them.