We don't have enough bins and I've had a mice infestation says exasperated pensioner in waste disposal dispute

Ralph Redhead, 69, lives in Nelson Close in Hendon, a block of 97 flats overseen by Anchor housing association who specialise in providing retirement housing for older people and pensioners.

Photographs sent to the Echo show the site’s bins overflowing with rubbish, a situation which Ralph says has led to a mice infestation in his flat and having to store a build up of rubbish in residents’ apartments.

Ralph says the cause of the problem is simply insufficient provision of waste disposal bins in relation to the number of residents.

A spokesperson for Achor said they are working with the Council to ensure bin provision is “suitable” for residents. The housing group also say the infestation of mice was not related to the bins - something which Ralph disputes.

The retired designer said: “In my half of the complex there are two bin rooms, one with seven wheelie bins and the other with five large black bins.

“When I go to dispose of my household waste the bins are often overflowing and there’s nowhere to put my rubbish.

“According to the Council’s website, we should each be entitled to 240 litres of recycling and 240 litres of general waste, but we don’t have anywhere near this.

“Residents are having to keep bags of rubbish in their flats, which is not very hygienic. We all pay our community charge and so surely we should be entitled to the same waste disposal provision as everyone else.”

Ralph said that the situation is being compounded by the bins not always being collected by Sunderland City Council’s refuse collectors.

He said: “Earlier this year (2025) we had a situation where the bins in one of the rooms weren’t collected for three weeks as the refuse collectors were new and didn’t realise there was a second bin room.

“There have also been occasions where the bins have not been collected due to being overfull.

“I don’t blame the refuse collectors as there will be health and safety implications for moving overfilled bins, but it just becomes a vicious circle.

“When the bins become overfull, the bin rooms have been locked by Anchor management, meaning we end up having to store rubbish in our flats. Many residents are elderly and have mobility issues and can’t dispose of their waste anywhere else.

“In some cases, the waste contains bio-health hazards.”

It’s a situation which Ralph says has led to an infestation of vermin.

He added: “I moved into Nelson Close in January (2025) and discovered I had an infestation of mice, which I had until around June. There were mice droppings all over the flat.

“The mice were dealt with, but when I spoke to the person who got rid of them he said they were using my flat as a through way to get to their food source.

“When I mention about the situation with the bins, he suggested that was where they would be feeding. Every time the bins get overfilled it is concern that the mice will return.”

Ralph said he has raised the issue of insufficient bins “many times” with management but that “they pass the blame back onto residents, saying that we overfill the bins and don’t dispose the correct waste in the correct bins”.

Ralph added: “If the bins have not been emptied or there isn’t enough bins in the first place then what are people supposed to do with their rubbish? Anchor management say they have raised the situation with the council when the bins were not been collected.

“I have also contacted them through the online complaints procedure.”

Ralph just wants to see the waste disposal situation resolved.

He said: “Firstly, the management at Anchor need to sit down and discuss the situation with residents rather then dismissing us and passing the blame onto us for overfilling the bins.

“We also need to be given more wheelie bins to use. We pay our council tax like everyone else, yet we aren’t being given our fair share. The bins are overfilled, but what do people expect if there aren’t enough of them in the first place.”

Responding to the situation, Claire Pinchard, area manager for Nelson Close, said: “The bins were collected after we reported a missed collection.

“We continue to work with the local authority to ensure that the bins at Nelson Close are suitable for our residents to use.

“There was one isolated report of mice, and repairs have been carried out to resolve the matter. This is not related to the bin stores.

“We encourage residents to speak to their location manager if they have any further concerns.”

A spokesperson for Sunderland City Council added: “Every week more than 120,000 properties have either their green household or blue recycling wheelie bins emptied by our teams.

“There are bins in a storage area at this property and regrettably several were missed during a recent collection.

“We are continuing to work on resolving bin storage and access matters at this property.”