COMPLAINTS about Stroud’s new recycling service peaked at 869 during the first week as the district’s 52,000 homes adjusted to the change.

While 98 per cent of collections went smoothly, confusion and operational problems meant around 900 homes’ rubbish was left piling up in parts of Nailsworth, Minchinhampton, Stroud and Stonehouse.

More than 100 complaints and calls per day flooded in to Stroud District Council after entire streets were missed out and food waste went uncollected.

However, figures for the second week suggest the initial teething problems are beginning to lessen as households adapt to the new routine.

Since Tuesday this week the SDC received 286 complaints from residents.

The council said that now only 0.5 per cent of households in the district were still experiencing problems.

However, many more isolated and rural areas are starting to grow increasingly impatient after food caddies were not emptied for a second time.

A spokesman for Stroud District Council said: “In the first week of collections, we had a total of 869 complaints about things such as missed collections.

“But bearing in mind this involves changing the daily habits of 52,000 households and 112,000 residents it’s a very good start.

“Half way through the second week of collections, it looks like this number has halved to half of one per cent of households.

“Of course, it’s a shame that some households have been inconvenienced and we’re sorry for that, however all in all the scheme is going exceptionally well.

“We have been running roadshows around the district and feedback so far is over 90 per cent positive and with 90 per cent of food waste bins being put out for collection it is clear that the vast majority of residents understand what to do and have really taken to the scheme already.

“As mentioned, changing the daily habits of everyone in the district was never going to be easy, but so far it looks clear that the overwhelming majority like the scheme.

"In fact even some of the complaints we have received about missed collections have been supportive of the changes.”

He added that the number of complaints about food waste in week was also “gradually declining” too.

The number of issues over food waste caddies last week was 539 – making up 62 per cent of all complaints.

In the first two days of the second week though, this has dropped down to 131.

Despite this descrese, many rural and isolated areas of the district are growing more and more frustrated about the new service.

The SNJ has been contacted by a number of households that have had not had food waste collected for two weeks in a row now.

Others in the district’s fringes have reported having their recycling left behind and not being able to even contact the council.

Angela Shipton, 73, who lives with a group of elderly residents at Park Farm Court in Minchinhampton, said she’d had to contact to the council again after their food waste hadn’t been collected for two weeks.

“We put out our food waste both weeks now and it’s been left behind both times,” she said.

“Some of the people here are a bit confused. I spoke to someone at the council last week and they said it would be sorted this week.

“But we haven’t seen anything. We’ve been forgotten twice in a row.

“People here are all in their 70s. We’re more anxious then annoyed but I do hope it is sorted soon.”

Kate Page, a resident from Littleworth in Amberley, said: “There is a lot of discontent from people living here.

“Food waste hasn’t been collected for two weeks now. We’ve had to start clearing up rubbish off the road.

“I rang the council last week and gave them my postcode. They told me it would be sorted this week but we woke up to find it was still there.

“A lot of our neighbours are experiencing the same problems.

“I am sympathetic to the new crews. They don’t know the area and Littleworth is not made for lorries as there are a lot of little alleys and lanes.”

Michael Grendon, 77, from Whiteway in Miserden took the complaint one step further.

“My food waste was left behind last week. This was the same for big areas of Whiteways and Bisley,” he said.

“To call the scheme a success is unrealistic. There are a lot of communities which have been forgotten.

“If mine isn’t collected today I’ve got a good minds to drive down to Ebley Mill and dump the food waste in the reception.”

He added that the council's website did not have an option to report uncollected food waste.

“You would have thought that before the council embarked on something this big they would have updated their website so people can let them know,” he said.

“I tried again and again and again to call the council last week and couldn’t get through. In the end my call was cut off.

“I tried again online but it only gives you the option to report missed black bag collection or missed green box or wheelie bin collection.

“There is nothing there about food caddies. I think that’s something they’ll need to look at. Really they should have had it updated already.”

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Stroud District Council’s new scheme means the district’s rubbish will now be collected in new wheelie-bins every two weeks – rather than weekly.

Households have been provided with kitchen caddies to collect food waste in the home, and outside food waste bins to empty them into for collection.

The current recycling bins and boxes will continue to be collected every two weeks as they are at the moment.

As wheelie-bins or beige refuse sacks will now be used to collect rubbish, the council will no longer be providing households with a weekly black bin bag.

However, residents can still use their own bin liners, but these need to be put inside the new grey bins or beige sacks for collection.

For the kitchen caddy and food waste bins, residents do not need to line them but if they want to they can use plastic bags, compostable liners or newspaper.

For further information see stroud.gov.uk/recycling. To contact the council about missing bins email recycling@stroud.gov.uk