THE day they changed the refuse collection system the ‘challenges’ started.

There was no collection of my kitchen waste  for three weeks.

Four phone calls later, at my expense: “We are sorry, the ‘person’ on the van did not check that you have assisted collection.”

Next ‘challenge’ – no collection of my tins for three weeks up to Friday, September 30. Strangely, they did take my bottles which were in the bin next to the tins bin.

In between these events, one Friday, there was no complete collection of my black bin, i.e. non-recycling.

Apparently, if you put a plastic bag of rubbish in the bin they pull it out and don’t check to see if there is anything else in the bottom of the bin. Someone came out to finish this collection.

A phone call by me, at my expense, a special trip out by an operative to collect the refuse at our council rates expense.

If you call the council (810000) you get the ever-polite, long-suffering people on the phone, i.e. at the ‘coal face’, but not the people responsible for the incompetence.

On Tuesday, October 4, I took the tins to the council offices. I needed to check that they really were the right sort of tins that would be collected.

The person I saw said I should stop being helpful to the operatives and leave my bins at my front door instead of making it easy for them by taking them down to our car park.

Last Friday (October 7) all bins up at the front door. The black bin was emptied but no recycling had been done by 3pm so I called the council yet again.

A phone call back to me reassured me that the team responsible would come out to get the recycling.

Apparently, no. Two young men who came, and who looked like butter would not melt in their mouths told me that ‘this is not our round’, but they would pass on my message of displeasure at the incompetence.

A call back to the council by me established that they lied to my face. Apparently they are the people responsible for the round.

I bet they thought, ‘It’s easy to lie to a stupid old woman’. They just did not know that, as I am not stupid, I would call the council again to say that the people responsible for the round should have been sent out.

I can forgive a lot, provided that people are prepared to learn by their ‘incompetence,’ but lying to a householder is beyond disgusting in my view.

These people can’t even take responsibility for their own low standards when doing their job.

Maybe they should start looking for another job if they can’t do this one properly.

Is anyone else having ‘challenges’ like these?

– Disgusted, Cinderford.