Bin nightmare for 'baffled' Corby plumber

A Corby plumber who had been stuck with an industrial waste bin for eight weeks has finally had the overflowing receptacle removed from his drive.

Harry Marchant had a contract with Corby-based Biffa for a large capacity wheelie bin that he stored in his garage at his Oakley Vale home.

But it was when he tried to adjust and then cancel his contract that the bin became a problem – and the whole thing started to stink.

After being left with a full bin, Mr Marchant tried with emails and phone calls to stop invoices being sent.

He said: “Last year I took out a 12-month contract. I wanted to use it for my waste from my plumbing business.

"I paid for a licence and the monthly cost each month. It was to be emptied fortnightly.”

In December 2021 Mr Marchant was dismayed that the bin had not been emptied so he contacted Biffa. They came and emptied it but the next day they came again.

Mr Marchant, 41, had been storing the bin in his garage out of courtesy to his neighbours but he then wheeled it outside to make sure it was collected.

He said: “They had only just emptied it so there was nothing there. They said it had been emptied twice in a month.

"Over Christmas I cancelled the fortnightly collection and changed to once a month but it had to be OKed by the depot manager.

"The last time it was emptied was January. So when they didn’t collect it in February I cancelled the direct debit.”

Mr Marchant paid invoices that were sent even though he wasn’t quite sure what they were for, hoping that the bin would be taken away – but it remained.

He said: “They said that they needed it in writing. After four weeks and seven phone calls later they are saying that they never got the email but I have seen that they have been copied in.

"I have been trying to cancel for five weeks and trying to get in touch with the business managers.”

The bin had started to smell and during the recent gales, the family had to retrieve rubbish that had blown around the neighbourhood.

After this newspaper contacted Biffa on Mr Marchant’s behalf there was a breakthrough.

On Monday (March 28), the overflowing bin was finally removed. After speaking to the customer service department at Biffa Mr Marchant’s payments were reimbursed but he was again surprised to receive several more on the same day.

He said: “One person said I owe £90, another £177, and another £74. I’m absolutely baffled. I’ve never experienced this before in my life. I’ve been sent an invoice for March 22 to April 22 even though the bin is gone. It’s ridiculous.”

A Biffa spokesman said: "We pride ourselves on great customer service, so it's always disappointing to hear when we haven't hit the high standards people expect of us. We collected the bin on Monday and will be in touch with the customer to resolve any other outstanding issues."