By KLTV Newsdesk –

Local tenants welcome early collection following months of waste build-up

A resident from the Highfields area of Huddersfield, Kirklees, took matters into her own hands after months of overflowing bins and uncollected waste created what she described as an “unsightly” and “problematic” situation that was beginning to attract rats.

Jolene contacted Kirklees Council’s waste support team on Monday, 17 November, after she and a friend removed a large volume of dumped rubbish bags from the bin-shed floor.

Jolene said two of their communal bins had been “excessively over full for many weeks, if not months,” and believed the bin lorry crews had been unable to safely reach them because of the waste blocking access.

“We have around 40 flats in this complex and four days to go before the next bin collection day,” she wrote. “The row of full bins might well become excessively full between now and then.”

“This complex does not benefit from a recycling bin, so all rubbish from its many homes goes into the black bins, yet we still only have fortnightly bin collections, which is a main cause of the problem of bins being overly full before bin collection day.”

Despite previously asking Connect Housing to install “no rubbish to be left on the floor” signage and leaving several voicemail messages for the housing officer, Jolene said she had received no response.

the overflowing bins before being initially cleaned up by Jolene and a friend

“time-sensitive” issue

Kirklees Council’s waste support team responded promptly, confirming they had already been made aware of issues at the site.

They said the safety concerns around access had prevented crews from emptying the bins, but praised Jolene’s efforts in clearing the area.

“With the area now clear thanks to your hard work, we are looking to undertake this ASAP,” the team wrote, adding that they had “stressed the time-sensitive nature” of the situation to the depot and hoped to arrange a collection earlier than the scheduled Thursday (20 November) visit.

Early collection brings relief

In an update shared on Tuesday (18 November), Jolene confirmed that a waste collection crew had attended three days ahead of schedule.

“The waste dept kindly sent out the bin collection lorry today,” she wrote. “I just got home and noticed all the bins were empty.”

Hopes for longer-term improvements

Jolene said she “loves living in the area” but hopes the recent intervention prompts longer-term action to prevent future build-ups.

She reiterated her request for clear signage and better communication from the housing provider, Connect Housing.

Although the immediate issue has been resolved, residents remain hopeful that proactive measures, including signage, faster responses from housing support staff, and timely collections, will stop the problem from returning.