Home owners fury at bin rules

Bin lids must be shut, they can't be too heavy or facing the wrong way and no excess waste should be left - welcome to the world of bin collections in the West Midlands.

What used to be a simple weekly pick-up of the rubbish has now become a minefield of jobsworth regulations.

And, with fortnightly collections creeping in and talk of 'pay-as-you-throw' charges, disposing of your rubbish is only going to get more complicated.

Householders must now contend with a mixture of grey bins, green bins, brown bins and black recycling boxes.

And if they fail to follow a list of rules they face having their bins ignored, leading to the danger of rats and other rodents feeding off rotten food.

In Wolverhampton binmen will not collect waste if bin lids are left open and they will not take extra bags of rubbish away. People are even being warned that if their excess waste blocks access to their bin, the rubbish will not be taken at all.

And South Staffordshire residents, who have fornightly domestic waste collections, are told not to leave food exposed due to fears of flies laying eggs - and estates in Wombourne are reporting sightings of rats for the first time.

Karen Cartwright, from Holloway Drive, Wombourne, said: "My husband has to go to the tip and get rid of it himself. He is on a first-name basis with everyone there now he is there so often."

Despite residents in Dudley not having grey wheelie bins for domestic waste, some are provided with green bins for recycled waste. However the rubbish will not be collected if it is not out on the street by 7.30am.

People living in Stafford are given a long list of rules to comply with.

Staffordshire Council spokesman Will Conoghan said: "The conditions are in place for a number of operational reasons."

By Victoria Nash