Most Britons would PAY to have bins emptied as they are so fed-up with slack councils

MOST British households would pay to have their bins emptied by a private company instead of by their local councils for a better service.


Bin collections in some areas of the UK have become so infrequent people would rather pay

Unreliable council services which have been stripped back so far they are barely functioning have caused the public to become so frustrated they would rather pay to have the job done "properly".

A startling 73 per cent said they would pay for a private collection to replace the council service if it came with a council tax rebate, a survey of 4,012 households revealed.

And 51 per cent said they would still pay, even if it meant they did not get a tax rebate.

Our council collection's so bad, I'd be happy to pay someone else to do it properly

Pat, London

Bin management is getting so bad, 95 per cent of those surveyed said they have had a missed collection in the last year.

And 98 per cent said they have had rubbish left behind or in their street over the past 12 months.

Only three per cent said their bin is ever put back in the right place, the survey by national waste management company, revealed.

Mark Hall, a spokesman for, said: "We spoke to hundreds of people about this. And the one thing we heard again and again is that local authorities appear to be providing the minimum service they can get away with, and nothing else."

The number one complaint is rubbish behind left behind because bin men have to race around increasingly lengthy rounds, meaning there is no time to clear up spillages.


Overflowing bins are becoming the norm in parts of Britain

Mr Hall added: "There's so much pressure on the operators of council bin rounds because of slashed budgets, and that means they have to drop the usual courtesies."

A council bin contractor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "Our rounds our now twice as long as they were a few years ago.

"And under the new scheme, we've got fewer people on the lorries.

"We literally have to run around to get the job done on time, and we can't stop to pick up mess or look for bins in obscure places."

The astounding figures comes as it was revealed Flintshire Council in Wales is planning to collect bins on a three-weekly basis.

Furious residents are being threatened with fines if they have too much rubbish as the council proposes to close up to four recycling centres.

One of the main reasons people would pay for private bin collections is missed collections, in the hope they could pay extra for reliable, weekly services with a service guarantee.


Some areas of the UK already have bi-weekly collections


Bin men are having to do longer rounds with fewer colleagues

Fran, of Basingstoke, said: "Even when you have the right bin out on the right day they might miss it.

"It's really annoying because we used to have such a good bin service before."

And Londoner, Pat, said: "If someone stuck a leaflet through my door saying they'd empty my bins and negotiate a council tax rebate for me, I'd rip their arm off.

"Our council collection's so bad, I'd be happy to pay someone else to do it properly."

Mr Hall warned private collections would have to have guarantees and a code of practice meaning they provide a full service or nothing at all.

Rules may have to be drawn up so entire streets have to sign up, to prevent a "turf war".

He said he didn't want "fly-by-night companies" cutting corners to "earn a quick buck".