Biffa under fire over missed brown bin garden waste collections in Portsmouth

CITY residents have voiced their frustration over weeks of missed garden waste collections, saying it’s not ‘good enough’ for a paid service.
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Biffa has come under fire from Portsmouth residents over ‘irregular’ general rubbish and recycling collections from the Portsmouth City Council contractor.

Now residents are taking aim at its £45-a-year subscription green waste club where brown bins are collected fortnightly.

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Residents in Portsmouth have complained of missed brown bin collectionsResidents in Portsmouth have complained of missed brown bin collections
Residents in Portsmouth have complained of missed brown bin collections
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People who have contacted The News said they have reported several missed collections this year.

Alan Browning, 60, who lives in Thornby Close in Anchorage Park, said: ‘There were three dates in a row this year where they didn’t collect our brown bins.

‘On each occasion I sent Biffa an email to ask what was going on and only once they responded saying the lorry had broken down. But they had more than a month to get that sorted.

‘Our garden bins should be collected on a Thursday morning so we put them out on Wednesday nights.

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‘After the last missed collection the bins sat out there from Wednesday until Monday morning when they finally arrived - but we had no warning they were coming on a different day.

‘When it first started it was really really good but I’ve had problems with them since the end of last year and it seems to be getting worse.’

Southsea resident Jonathan Chubb, 61, added: ‘It feels like they haven't been round to collect the brown bin for ages, but I’ve had no explanation as to why.

‘We pay enough money for the service and it isn't really good enough that they can't deliver. I've ended up paying someone else to take the garden waste away.’

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However, a spokesman for Biffa apologised and said the company was looking to ‘increase’ capacity going forward.

He said: ‘We apologise for any delays with Green Waste Club collections, which were due to a breakdown with one of the vehicles.

‘We are looking into increasing our capacity to maintain the highest of standards with the increased demand during lockdown.’

In response to previous concerns around general waste and recycling collections, a spokesman for the city council said no cuts were made to the waste service and no vehicles had been taken off the road.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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