Residents kicking up a stink over missed bin collections

UNCOLLECTED WASTE LEADS TO 'PERSISTENT SMELL OF DECAY'

- By HARRISON GALLIVEN Local democracy reporter

A WAVE of missed bin collections over the past month left some Croydon streets overflowing with rubbish and the “persistent smell of decay”.

The disruption followed the launch of a new eight-year waste contract between Croydon Council and Veolia Waste Management.

Veolia, which began the contract on April 1, was the sole bidder and had previously held the council's waste contract. Despite promises of improved service, Veolia's recent performance has drawn criticism, with some questioning the council's decision to retain the same provider.

Labour's Croydon Mayoral candidate Rowenna Davis said: “It is just so shockingly disappointing because there are millions and millions of pounds of public money going to this company.”

Councillor Davis and Croydon East MP Natasha Irons said they had been inundated with complaints from residents. One Shirley resident, who lives above a shop, told the LDRS her block went without bin collections for seven weeks.

“The bins of our neighbours who live above the shops were overflowing,” she said. “Foxes got to them and there was just food waste, sanitary towels and nappies all over the road which we ended up having to clear up.”

Despite submitting multiple missed bin reports, she said nothing was done.

“They kept saying we were aware of this problem, we will get it sorted,” she said. “We were just told the same thing, it will get done by the end of the week, but nothing happened.”