Residents across Bognor Regis and the wider Arun District have been left waiting for up to four months for the removal of redundant wheelie bins, following a major shake-up of local waste services.
Arun District Council confirmed on 18 September 2026 that additional crews have now been deployed to tackle a persistent backlog that has seen hundreds of unwanted bins remain on driveways and pavements long after their replacement units were delivered.
The delays are a result of the district-wide transition to the “1-2-3” waste collection system introduced earlier this year. This model provides weekly food waste collections, fortnightly recycling, and general waste collections every three weeks. As part of the change, many households had their larger 240-litre general waste bins replaced with smaller 140-litre units to encourage recycling.
According to official figures, the council’s waste contractor, Biffa, has collected approximately 12,000 unwanted bins since the rollout began. However, while the vast majority have been cleared, several hundred remain outstanding across the district.
Advice for residents
For those in Bognor Regis still awaiting a collection, the council has issued specific guidance to ensure the remaining bins are removed as quickly as possible. Residents are asked to leave the unwanted bins at the front of their property, ensuring they are completely empty and clearly visible from the road.
While some residents have reported being told to leave bins on the pavement, official guidance suggests they should be kept within the property boundary where possible to avoid obstructing walkways for pedestrians and those with limited mobility.
The council has requested that residents do not call the main customer service telephone line regarding bin removals to keep lines free for other urgent enquiries. Instead, those with an outstanding collection are encouraged to report it via the Arun District Council website, using the dedicated portal for missed or old bin removals.
The local authority has not confirmed an exact end date for the backlog clearance but stated that the deployment of extra crews is intended to resolve the remaining cases shortly. Once collected, the old plastic bins are typically sent for recycling to be processed into new products.