The Stockport council cabinet member responsible for bin services has apologised after hundreds of residents were 'blindsided' when their wheelie bins were not collected. Councillor Jake Austin said nearly 900 bins had not been collected and the council was reviewing the situation to prevent a recurrence.
A July 2026 reminder sent to Totally Local Company (TLC), which operates Stockport’s bin services, instructed staff not to collect wheelie bins where the lid is open. While this is understood not to be a new policy, the sudden enforcement of the rule left hundreds of people with uncollected bins.
Safety concerns behind the change
The stricter enforcement was introduced due to safety issues caused by open bin lids. In 2016, a Stockport binman was left fighting for his life with a broken sternum and ribs after a bin dropped from the back of a lorry. An open bin increases the risk of workers incorrectly placing the bin on the lorry due to poor visibility, raising the chance of similar incidents and litter spillage.
In an email to all councillors shared with the Manchester Evening News, Coun Austin said he had been investigating what happened and pledged to be 'completely transparent about what has led to this'. He explained that while the policy on bin lids needing to be closed during collections is long-standing and intended to ensure waste operatives’ safety, it had not been strictly followed by TLC for several years.
Communication breakdown
Coun Austin said the sudden change in practice left residents and councillors blindsided. 'The decision was taken at an operational level in line with stricter guidance,' he wrote. 'While officers were made aware of this change in approach, the significance of the decision and its likely impact on residents was unfortunately not escalated to senior council officers, councillors or the administration.'
He added that many became aware of the scale of the impact only once residents began experiencing issues. 'It is clear that communication and escalation processes did not work as they should have done in this instance. Whatever the rationale for the operational change, residents and councillors should have received advance notice and a clear explanation of what was changing and why.'
Apology and review
Coun Austin said the council is reviewing how decisions with significant resident impact are communicated to ensure this does not happen again. 'Regardless of this, I am still ultimately responsible for how this is handled at the council, and I am sorry for the disruption this has caused our residents – and to you as councillors – who have no doubt had a substantial increase in enquiries from the residents you represent over the last five days.'
The cabinet member said they would be looking at how to deal with the at least 895 bins that had not been collected and were escalating concerns raised by councillors, including those who need their bins replaced. He said they 'are close to presenting a solution on this'.
