Cornwall residents stuck in rubbish row after council refuses bags with wrong color handle

Resident Julie Elworthy, 61, described the saga as “an absolute nightmare” and a “waste of taxpayers’ money”.

She said: “It took 12 phone calls, nine emails, a conversation with the county councillor, calls to Biffa and direct complaints.

“There was no accountability – the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.

“But last Wednesday was the last straw. I had to carry our rubbish up to the top of Saltash, 34 miles away. It was very time-consuming, but I couldn’t leave all the piles of trash at the bottom of the strip.”

Other people took to social media to criticize the scheme and one even called for their council tax to be refunded

One online user said: “We don’t get a rubbish collection, or bus service, we don’t have children and we don’t need social care.

“We very rarely see a policeman. We have no confidence in Cornwall council or our MP either.

“Can we have a refund on our council tax please?”

A council spokesman said: “Our new recycling and rubbish collection service aims to encourage everyone to reduce their waste and increase their recycling.

“To help with this we are providing all residential properties with a new and standardized 180 liter bin or bag which we will collect from the kerb every fortnight.

“All rubbish must fit into the new bin or bag which our crews can monitor to ensure residents do not exceed the amount of rubbish they can dispose of.

“It also ensures that every household has a bin or bag that is the right size and in good working order.”