A Surrey man says his family is forced to “navigate piles of rubbish” outside their flat due to overflowing bins

Would you be pushed to your limits like this Surrey man if you had to climb over mounds of bins and trash next to your flat each day? Resident from West Molesey, Michael Bartholomew, 33 is now at his wit’s end after he and his children have been forced one too many times to climb over mountains of trash to vacate their premises.

Speaking to SurreyLive on the 13th of January 2025, Michael commented: 

“Where we live, we have our block of flats, Matham Court and Priors Court next to us. We have an enclosed area for the bins outside my child’s bedroom. The other block of flats have their bins on their side. Our bins always seem to get filled much quicker than their bins. When the bins have not been cleared, they cover the main entrance. It’s meant to be all shut away, but rubbish covers the whole floor.”

Michael continues to explain that the bins are a constant problem, with rubbish piling up in the communal area, most of which is still remaining from the Christmas period. You only have to take a look at the images to know how bad the situation must be for Michael and his family, especially from a health point of view, where rubbish like this will only attract the likes of rats and foxes.

He said: “I’ve been at this flat for five years now. I have said loads of times that we need some new bins, more than what we have. It’s all the time; I have complained so many times. This is my last resort now. We need more bins or for them to be collected twice a week. It’s an ongoing issue; it’s not just because of Christmas. The bins get filled, and when there’s no space, it goes all over the floor.”

In an attempt to rectify the situation, Michael has reached out to Elmbridge Council and PA housing, who have managed the building numerous times but have yet to see any change or improvements to the rubbish disposal. Because it’s not just the build-up of rubbish which causes an issue, but the placement of the bins too.

“My partner took the boys to school on Monday, and it was hard to get out of the communal door as the bins were blocking the entrance. It’s just not good enough, if we had a fire, it would be hard to get out.”

Michael continued to tell SurreyLive that one day, someone had to come to the flat to move the bins, which had been pushed up against his door, preventing him from leaving. This on top of the mess, is pushing Michale to breaking point – and we can’t blame him, you shouldn’t have to live like that, especially as the mess will be attracting pests and letting off unpleasant odours.

“When you walk past, food has been left out, foxes have been. There are no rats or mice at the moment, but give it time. Council tax and rent is not cheap and you would expect that to mean the bins were cleaned when they were meant to be cleaned.”

Michael believes the solution lies in regular maintenance of the bins with more frequent collections and awareness of how to throw away rubbish correctly.

Director of Neighbourhoods and Customer Services, Sally-Anne Underhill, said: “Refuse collection is the responsibility of the local authority, but we’re aware they have been unable to complete this on several occasions due to access issues and the bins overflowing or being cross-contaminated.”

“We know most of our residents are using the bins as intended, and we’re sorry for the impact this is having on them. To try and help minimise the problem, we’re liaising with the local authority to find a more permanent solution to the access issues, and our team are actively involved with residents to raise awareness about the appropriate use of the bins. To date, we have received no reports of vermin.”

An Elmbridge Borough Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the issues at this location and are working with partners to find a long-term solution. The main challenge at this site is blocked access, and the refuse lorries have been unable to access the bin store due to parked vehicles emptying the bins.”

In this instance, we know the tenant is not responsible for arranging safe and appropriate rubbish removal – especially on a scale like this, where it needs constant attention and help. But do know, if you’re in a situation where you have too much rubbish and need it cleared, give us a call. Our rubbish removal teams in Surrey will be happy to help.