Annoyed by refuse police

Do Dudley Council refuse collectors have a job spec, and if so, does anyone actually check whether they adhere to it?

It seems a decision is made in the cab as they start the day as to what shall be collected.

The recent strike resulted in bags full of decomposing waste left outside houses in this area. Fair enough, everyone has the right to withdraw their labour. On that basis, I took my rubbish to the Anchor Lane site.

Today I put out the usual quantity, one large, two small bags, and was annoyed to find that a decision had been made to leave one bag. I observed that my neighbour, who had opted not to take his refuse to the site suffered even more, having been left with three bags uncollected.

This is not the first, and I dare say will not be the last time when bags have been left uncollected. There are only two of us in the house and the extent of our rubbish tends to be smaller than the average. On the other hand, our house is highly banded and we are therefore charged an excessive amount of rates.

Recently, I happened to pull a weed out of the drive on my way to placing my bag in the allotted position and rammed it in with the other rubbish. Apparently, this is a cardinal sin and an excuse for not collecting. The bag had been inspected and the weed put to one side, highlightedÊas a warning for the future should I transgress again. I assume I should have placed it at the bottom of my green wheelie bin.

On another occasion, the refuse police spotted that I had hidden half a house brick in my bag. The bag was not taken. When I used a bag to weigh down the papers in the separate newspaper container, this was also used as a reason not to collect. One might think that rather than inspecting in this fashion, it would take less time if the item was removed. Perhaps one of the highly paid executives at Dudley Council could explain to me what rules we are supposed to adhere to and give us all a laugh in these uncertain times.

Alan M Etheridge, Catholic Lane, Sedgley.