'Nauseating' Stourbridge dog poo bins left full and overflowing for weeks
“Nauseating” Stourbridge bins full of dog poo were left unemptied for weeks. Despite complaints over missed collections, one councillor said she had to clean up the bins herself by hand.
Residents say they cannot get a response from relevant departments and if they do it takes weeks to come back.
Local resident and keen dog walker Nicola Tyler said people are now jostling for a spot to hang their “stinky” dog poo bags on the bins.
Mrs Tyler said: “The bins are completely overflowing and the stinky dog poo bags were all around the bins, it wasn’t very sanitary, to say the least. I’ve reported the issue to the council but still haven’t had a reply.
“The bins are not even documented on the council’s map on the website so there’s no way to officially report how bad they are. I’m thinking they are not even on their system and that’s why they are not being emptied.
“It’s also not that accessible, so perhaps because they can’t drive the van right into the park, they just haven’t bothered to empty the bins. People aren’t always the best with dog poo bags anyway and they sometimes just throw them into trees.
“The dog poo was just piled up all over the bins and people were trying to find any spot they could to leave their dog poo bags or just leaving them lying around the bins. I’d say there is probably a month’s worth of rubbish in there.
Councillor Cat Eccles speaking at a cabinet meeting last week said the bins were nauseating and she had now been forced to clean them herself by hand.
“I can assure you that residents of this borough are certainly not receiving high-quality frontline services currently, nor an enhanced green care service," she said.
“Bins in parks across Stourbridge have been left unemptied for more than two weeks despite constant requests. I had to empty a bin by myself due to it overflowing and the nauseating smell emanating from it.
“The majority of the time we can’t even get a response from the relevant departments. I have a long list of casework items that have breached the response time and this is repeated across the borough.”
In response Councillor Shaz Saleem, cabinet member for highways and public realm, said the bins have now been emptied.
“There are nearly 2,500 bins in towns, streets and parks across the borough which the council has responsibility for emptying,” he said.
“Some are emptied daily, while others are done weekly or fortnightly.
“We would urge people, as in this case, to tell us when bins are overflowing and need emptying.
“They can contact us on social media, or via Dudley Council Plus. We will use any such feedback to determine if our scheduled timings for the emptying of bins need to become more frequent.
“This bin has now been emptied, and a council officer has also called the resident to confirm the action that has been taken.”