DUDLEY Council has apologised for any missed collections on the green waste bin rounds as a new paid-for service got underway this week.

The council is now charging £36 for year-round fortnightly green bin collections as part of measures to combat budget pressures.

More than 48,000 people have opted in to pay for the service but as the roll out began this week residents across Stourbridge and Dudley were left fuming over missed collections.

Retired Stourbridge councillor Les Jones, the council’s former leader, wrote on Facebook: “Well done Dudley Council, you’ve excelled yourselves this week.

“First collection of the new, paid for, green waste service and guess what? Didn’t turn up.”

Withymoor resident Jonathan Wilkinson had a similar experience and told the News: “On the first day for green waste collection they failed to collect any bins from Patterdale Way on Lakeside or even attend the street and maybe wider estate despite residents having bins out with the appropriate stickers.

“I was under the belief that by paying for this service it would mean we would ensure a better quality of service and not further mis-management at the expense of the general public.”

A woman on social media site Next Door also painted the same picture and said: “It was our first green bin collection yesterday and even though we have had to pay for it to be emptied they never turned up. Not a very good start.”

Meanwhile, Stourbridge North and Lye councillor Pete Lowe, leader of Dudley’s Labour Party, said almost all of his council workload this week had been “chasing missed green waste collections” and he added: “It’s ridiculous.”

The local authority, however, has said it was inevitable there would be a few teething problems with the new system and has apologised for any issues.

Jim Deakin, head of waste and fleet operations at Dudley Council, said: “As might be expected with the rollout of a new system, our crews are being stopped a lot more by residents with queries and questions while on their rounds.

“As such, it has taken them a lot longer to get around than it normally would. One problem we have had this week is that people have been signing up to the service on the morning of the collection, some literally minutes before their bins are due to be collected.

“As such, they don’t have a permit and they aren’t showing up on our in-cab system as having paid because it can take between one and two days for this to update. Our crews have been delayed by having to investigate and manually resolve this by checking receipts and payment records with householders.

“We apologise for any collections that have been missed and ask residents who have paid for the service to continue to leave their green bin at the kerbside, and we will collect as soon as we can.”

To opt into the new paid-for green bin collection service residents can visit dudley.gov.uk/garden-waste or call Dudley Council Plus on 0300 555 2345.

Anyone who has not opted in will no longer receive garden waste collections.