I am writing to share copies of emails to and from Harrow Borough Council regarding my half-emptied brown bin, which may be of interest to your readers.

Good morning,

The brown bin collection has been done this morning but my bin did not fully empty when it was put on the truck and is still half full.

I have tried to fill the form in on the website but it will not allow me to fill it in and says the collectors have not visited my street yet.

Do the collectors not check the bins when they come off the truck? Clearly not.

Just by weight alone they should be able to tell if it didn’t empty, or are they only allowed to ‘tip’ the bin once?

Please can you arrange for them to come back and empty it properly please?

Mrs L Gorry

Dear Mrs Gorry,

Thank you for your email. If a brown bin has been half emptied this does mean that the contents that remain in the bin did not fall out after the bin was lifted due to the contents being stuck in the bin.

In most cases the crew then lift the bin and if the contents then do not fall out they will leave it behind.

You will need to loosen the items ready for the next collection day.

Harrow Council Customer Adviser

 

Good morning,

Thank you for your reply, it is seriously laughable — so much so that I feel compelled to share your sense of humour with the community and am sending it to the Harrow Times so that everyone can share.

Do you seriously expect us to believe that one of your operatives would lift a bin to check if it was empty?

Mrs L Gorry

 

Dear Mrs Gorry,

I do apologise I should have worded it slightly differently.

The crew attempts to empty the bin again, for which it is put onto the back of the lorry for a second time and tipped upside down.

If the items do not fall out then they will leave the bin behind.

Harrow Council Customer Adviser

 

If the bin contains garden waste, the grass will be damp and it will stick to the bin and yes it will need a bit of a shake.

Meanwhile, my bin remains unemptied.

Linda Gorry

Rayners Lane

 

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