Residents of a new housing estate in Buckley, Flintshire, say they have reached breaking point after living without waste bins or collections since moving in during the spring. Despite paying council tax and, in some cases, extra for garden waste services, the 61 occupied homes on the Hawthorn Meadows estate have not received wheelie bins, recycling bags, or a single collection from Flintshire County Council.
Residents frustrated by lack of service
Nathan Long, who moved onto the development with his young family in April, described the situation as a nightmare. “We did all the things you are supposed to do,” he said. “We were among the first to move in in April and we signed up to pay our council tax – because you don't want to be in arrears on that – and also registered for our bins and for waste collection. But we have had nothing. We have chased and chased, I have written to local councillors and MP Mark Tami but nothing has changed.”
Long added that the council had offered no alternative, leaving residents to manage their own waste. “We accept we are living on a building site currently and that some services – like streetlighting – are not fully operational yet. But we are getting none of the services we pay for through our council tax including perhaps the most important one – bin collections. The council has offered no alternative, they were happy to just leave us living among our own waste.”
Developer steps in as council blamed
Developer Castle Green Homes has been criticised by residents but also praised for its support. Long said the developer had been “incredibly supportive” and had hired skips for residents to dispose of waste, paying for their disposal to prevent vermin issues during the hottest summer on record. “Castle Green could not have done more to help,” he said. “They have been chasing Flintshire County Council on this too on our behalf but have been ignored.”
Castle Green Homes’ partnerships director Eoin O’Donnell called the situation unprecedented. “Usually the local authority issues bins to residents of new homes soon after they register for council tax and their homes are then added to the collection route. The first residents moved into Hawthorn Meadows at the end of March and there are now 61 homes occupied. None of them have received bins or had their waste collected by Flintshire County Council.”
O’Donnell noted that in other authority areas like Wrexham, Denbighshire, and Conwy, the wait for residents is a couple of weeks, but Flintshire is typically longer. He said the five-month delay was unprecedented, adding that the situation was costing the developer money. “We could not leave our residents in such a dreadful predicament in the hottest summer on record. We've made multiple attempts to contact the council via phone and email to resolve the situation to no avail. We do not encounter this problem in Wrexham, Denbighshire or Conwy, it is clearly a problem which is particular to Flintshire.”
Council response and next steps
Cllr Dan Rose has taken up residents’ complaints. In response to his enquiries, Flintshire County Council said that Hawthorn Meadows had not been included on collection routes yet because the roads were unadopted and had not been subjected to health and safety reviews. Long noted that he spotted a bin wagon pulling out of the junction opposite the development, suggesting the council does not need to create a new route. Flintshire County Council was approached for comment.
