Thousands of households across Croydon have been left with overflowing rubbish bins after being handed the wrong waste collection leaflets.

The new refuse collection, rolled out across the borough at the start of October, hit immediate problems with about 3,000 homes receiving leaflets giving the wrong information for when items would be collected.

Other streets and households failed to receive a new food waste bin at all.

Croydon Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for environment and highways, explained the problems were being resolved.

He said: “I think it would be fair to say we had a few teething problems. It is very frustrating that for a number of people we didn’t get it right. What we have done now is everyone missed got a letter of apology and the new correct leaflet. We are asking anyone who still doesn’t have a food bin to get in touch and our staff are working hard to resolve any issues.”

The new system has seen general waste and recyclable items such as paper, cardboard and glass collection go from weekly to fortnightly at 125,000 households.

New food waste boxes have also been distributed to be collected weekly.

Coun Thomas said: "This is good for the environment and also good for the council tax payer.

"By collecting general waste every fortnight we are pushing people to recycle food waste and send less to landfill.

"Our target is to collect 12,000 tonnes of food waste that would have gone to landfill in the first year."

He promised anyone who needed an extra food bin of blue or green recycling box could request one.

Since the roll out, 374 tonnes of food waste has already been collected.

Coun Thomas explained the council pays around £100 for every tonne of waste sent to landfill.

Including costs to process the food waste, he hopes the new system will save the council £600,000.

However, the move has come under fierce criticism from residents and rival councillors.

Shasha Khan, of the Croydon Green Party, said: "This is clearly about cost cutting.

"If they were really concerned about the environment they would be using that £600,000 to inform people properly.

"One of the easiest things they could have done would have been including instructions on the lids of the new bins so no-one would be confused."

Andrew Rendle, 38, Cumberland Road, Woodside, is concerned his young family produces too much waste for fortnightly collections.

He said: "The trouble is, it just doesn’t work. I have three children, two under two-years-old, and without wanting to go into too much detail, there are quite a few nappies produced. My bin is overflowing.

"Do they really think it is a good idea to have that sitting around for a fortnight? I see they want us to double bag nappies, but how is that good for recycling?"

Mr Rendle put out two boxes of paper and card to be recycled last week and was angered when only one was collected.

He said: "There just seems to be no communication. Surely it doesn’t solve anything by leaving boxes behind?

"I can understand the council wanting to push recycling but the trouble is you have got to make it easy for people."

Beryl Smith, 84, of Brighton Road, South Croydon, was worried as she hasn’t had her garden waste removed and is struggling to contact the council.

She said: "I put my bag out and it was still sitting there the next day. The worry is if it isn’t collected people will just dump it where-ever.

"I am in my 80’s and I have got to carry it to a dump. I can’t drive and so I don’t know what to do.

"Years ago, the council just used to put a skip half way down the street for people to use."

Mrs Smith has tried to call the waste collection help-line but cannot get through.

"I called at 8am and was told I was 15th in the queue. When I call just before 5pm it is the same thing," she said.

Bob Johnston, 57, of Abbey Road in West Croydon, was sent the wrong information and has not had his recycling collected for the first two weeks.

He said: "Since the change to the waste collection my recycling boxes have not been emptied, despite being put out on the correct days.

"The first Friday when I got home it was sitting there.

"It is a new arrangement, there are going to be problems, so I didn’t think much of it, but the next Friday, there it was again.

"I went in and checked the leaflet and they had swapped so the green box was now newspapers and the blue box was for glass.

"Who thought that was a good idea?"

Mr Johnston has still not had his recycling collected.

"They have known this was coming, the lease they could do was make sure people had the right information," he said.

"It is completely unacceptable. Luckily I live alone but for families they must be having real trouble."

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