The IT issue meant some residents did not know their damaged bin needed to be replaced
14:42, 06 May 2026Updated 19:11, 06 May 2026
Cllr Lyndsey Downes on garden waste bin situation, April 24
Some North East Lincolnshire residents are able to request a free brown garden waste bin from the council, following recent missed collections. An apparent IT issue has led to some residents from late April not being informed of the need to replace damaged bins.
They only found out when their garden waste was not collected. A council spokesperson said there appears to have been “a miscommunication” on the log system for damaged bins, which led to people not being informed. Those affected can request a free replacement bin.
The issue emerged when residents contacted Independents for North East Lincolnshire Group councillors. A council officer informed Cllr Lyndsey Downes (Independent Group – Freshney Ward) there had been “a breakdown” in the council’s digital system.
Those affected would be offered a replacement bin free of charge, given they did not have a chance to order a new bin before collections were missed. For those who have had their garden waste collected but their bin is damaged, a sticker will be issued.
If a red sticker is issued, the bin cannot be safely collected anymore, while a yellow sticker means it can be collected for now, but it is damaged and may not be collectible in future. If a resident receives a sticker to contact the council for a replacement bin, in line with the council’s garden waste terms and conditions, they will still be charged. The current charging rate for a new bin is £31.25.
Grimsby Live spoke to Cllr Downes about the situation at the Independent Group’s local elections campaign launch in the week of April 20. A full list of candidates standing for election on May 7 can be found here.
A North East Lincolnshire Council garden waste bin(Image: Donna Clifford)
“Paul Bright, Paul Henderson, myself and Steve Holland, were all contacted by residents, saying that this week, they’d put their garden waste bins out for collection and they weren’t collected,” said Cllr Downes. “None of them had any communication about why that was the case. But all of them had something in common, in that the bins had been previously damaged, and had been taped up.
“But they’ve been emptying them for months and years with some people, with the split on them with no issues,” she said residents had told her. “I was contacted probably by somewhere in the region of 20 to 30 people, who’d had the same experience,” she said, after posting on social media. This included not just from Freshney Ward, but also Scartho and New Waltham, and she has since highlighted discussion in an Immingham community group about it too.
Cllr Downes followed up and a council officer stated affected residents were not informed due to a breakdown in the council’s digital system, and “will be offered a replacement bin free of charge”. The officer added waste workers would now continue collecting damaged garden waste bins’ contents, unless not safely able to. “I’d like to see everybody treated fairly,” said Cllr Downes.
She said “an awful lot of people” were “quite frustrated” by the feedback generally advising residents if their bin is damaged, they are responsible for replacing it. Some had asserted they had not damaged their bin, but claimed it had been when tipped up during collections.
A council spokesperson said it is “aware of the ongoing situation regarding damaged garden waste bins. Our waste operatives routinely log any damage to bins through a digital system; however, over recent weeks there appears to have been a miscommunication on the system which has led to some bins not being collected.”
The spokesperson added going forward, those who presented their brown bin and did not have it collected due to the technical issue can request a replacement bin. “In the meantime, affected residents can present up to 5 bags of garden waste on the next collection. Bag sizes should be no larger than a standard refuse sack (18 inches x 29 inches).”
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“For those who have had their bin collected but the bin is damaged, a sticker will be issued to inform them that they need to contact the council to order a replacement bin, in line with our garden waste terms and conditions.
“For more information on the terms and conditions on the waste service, visit Garden Waste Service Terms and Conditions | NELC. To order a replacement bin, visit Order a bin | NELC.”
Garden waste collection is a service North East Lincolnshire Council charges for. It currently costs £43.50 annually for each brown bin.
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