South Derbyshire District Council has apologised to residents after bin collections were missed across the district, including in Swadlincote, Hilton, Melbourne, Newhall, and Woodville.
Crews have been working to recover the outstanding collections, with the council aiming to complete all remaining bin pick-ups by Saturday 4 April 2026. Residents are encouraged to keep their bins out for collection as staff work through the backlog.
The local authority maintains a list of affected streets on its dedicated service update page for those looking for the latest information. This recent disruption follows similar challenges in October 2025, when staff shortages resulted in missed collections across 112 streets.
Heidi McDougall, the council’s Executive Director for Environment and Communities, has previously noted that staff shortages have contributed to a small percentage of missed collections among the approximately 76,883 bins serviced weekly. As the council manages these current service pressures, it is also preparing to introduce a new weekly food waste collection service in June 2026.
This new service, overseen by Cllr Stephen Taylor, Chair of the Environmental and Development Services Committee, was originally planned for April but faced delays due to national supply chain pressures for the required collection vehicles. The council has informed the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the adjustment to the start date.
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