Revealed: the most and least complained about councils for waste disposal in the UK

Using data collected under the Freedom of Information Act, Direct365 contacted all 422 UK councils requesting data regarding the number of complaints about waste collection, the topic of complaint, and the type of bin the complaint was related to.

10% of the UK’s waste collection complaints came from South Gloucestershire residents

Combined, the top ten councils receiving the most complaints regarding waste disposal are responsible for almost half (48.5%) of all the complaints analysed.

South Gloucestershire received the most complaints out of all councils between September 2022 and September 2023. In total, the council received 22,476 complaints during the year, equating to 77.31 complaints per thousand population. That totals to 10.64% of the national total.

Almost half of South Gloucestershire’s complaints were received in June (6,216 complaints) and July (4,027 complaints) when the area experienced a bin collection strike, resulting in residents going without bin collections for six weeks[2].

Although the top ten councils that received the most complaints cover a range of locations in the UK, in Scotland, four councils feature, including East Ayrshire Council (48.86% per 1,000), North Lanarkshire Council, and Angus Council (52.50 per 1,000), and Aberdeenshire Council (70.89 per 1,000).

Additionally, in the North, Chorley Council and Westmorland and Furness Council received low levels of satisfaction from their residents. However, only Lancaster made it into the top 5 most complained about councils, receiving 52.51 complaints per 1,000 residents.

In the South, Gateshead is the least complained about council in the top 10 (39.79 per 1,000), while Sevenoaks received the second highest number of complaints, behind South Gloucestershire, with 76.69 complaints per 1,000 people.

Almost half of all complaints are about missed bin collections

49% of all the complaints analysed were about missed collections. Combining responses from all of the councils, 102,776 were about bins not being collected on scheduled collection days.

One complaint from a Newcastle resident regarding missed bin collections on the 14th September 2022 read:

“I sent a message about 3 weeks ago to complain about a bin that has now been overflowing for approx. 6 weeks. We do not know which company this bin belongs to and we request that you empty it as soon as possible before we end up with a vermin issue which we have had before around here. The bin is located at the bottom of xxx, behind our business.”

Related bin problems, grouped under ‘delivery and collection issues’, are also significant, with all councils combined receiving a total of 19,721 complaints in this category.

Additionally, damage to bins and poor service quality were another common complaint that councils received. The 5,740 damage complaints received were primarily about staff returning bins with broken lids and cracks in them while 9,004 service complaints were recorded. These related to issues around late collections, spillages, lack of collections due to location.

Shropshire residents are the most satisfied with their bin collection services

Shropshire boasts the least complaints regarding waste disposal out of all 422 UK councils. Between September 2022 and September 2023, the council received a total of 143 complaints, amounting to 0.44 complaints per 1,000 residents.

Elsewhere, Haringey has received the second lowest number of complaints nationally and leads the way in London with a total of 0.47 complaints for 1,000 population, equating to 125 complaints overall in one year period.

Interestingly, while Leeds City Council only narrowly missed out in second place (0.52 complaints per 1,000), they received almost 300 more complaints than Haringey overall, however, remain as a top contender due to the city’s population.

In fact, there is little room between all top ten councils. From Shropshire in the top position to Wakefield in the tenth position, there is only a gap of 0.34 complaints per 1,000. Therefore all complaints received by the ten least complained councils amount to just 0.96% of all complaints analysed in this research.

Karl Bantleman at Direct365 commented:

“While it has been identified that improvement is needed to increase national satisfaction regarding waste collection, it is positive to recognise the quality services that particular councils are providing, in order to receive such few complaints.

Both councils and businesses have a responsibility to keep their streets clean, ensuring that rubbish does not build up, and environmental and hygiene standards are met. While a quality waste management service is crucial, both businesses and residents must play their part in ensuring that they are disposing of all rubbish in the correct way to ensure that services can run smoothly.”

Head to Direct365 to find more information about these waste collection findings.