Missed refuse collections made up large portion of complaints in sharp rise seen last year

Ted Peskett Local Democracy Reporter

Missed rubbish collections because of strikes in Cardiff resulted in a large increase in complaints made to the city council last year.

Members of Cardiff Council’s governance and audit committee were told at a meeting on Tuesday, September 10 that the number of complaints recorded by the local authority went up by 21% between 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Council data also shows that complaints have risen overall between 2019/20 to 2023/24 from 2,859 to 3,724.

Cardiff Council chief digital officer, Isabelle Bignall, told committee members that most of the complaints that saw overall number rise from 3,071 in 2022/23 to 3,724 in 2023/24 were related to waste and street scene issues.

Concern

Ms Bignall also pointed members to figures that show the council is responding to complaints in a timelier manner and that the number of complaints recorded this year is similar to that from 2021/22 (3,633).

However, one member of the committee, Cllr Rodney Berman, said he was concerned by the upward trajectory of complaints since 2019 and that ward councillors have struggled to get reported missed collections sorted in the past.

Cllr Berman said: “I have certainly found over the last couple of months when I have flagged missed collections… they have not been responded to.”

He went on to add that when a collection is reported as having been missed, it is just picked up on the next scheduled collection instead of being collected sooner.

He said: “We seem to have gone a bit backwards in dealing with these kind of complaints.”

Green mixed recycling bags piled up on streets across Cardiff when the city was affected by waste collection strikes at the end of 2023.

Ms Bignall conceded that at the time the council “just didn’t have the crews to go out and collect” waste.

There have also been recent reports of missed collections across the city, including in areas where the council’s new recycling system is bedding in.

Some of the streets affected include residents who benefit from the council’s assisted lift service.

The sorted recycling method, which has been rolled out to tens of thousands of properties across Cardiff, involves residents sorting their recycling into separate bags and containers and is intended to improve the quality of recyclable material.

Whilst some residents have found the transition relatively seamless, many have complained about lacking storage for recycling bags and containers and bags that have been left out after collection blowing onto their street.

Ms Bignall said a new system coming into use at the council this year called Halo will help the local authority to pick up trends in complaints and deal with them more effectively.

She also said Cardiff is not alone in facing issues with increased complaints and that the council is not standing out compared to other local authorities.