Residents have slammed a new policy that means their bins won't be emptied if the lid isn't fully closed.
The changes will take place from Tuesday, February 1, in Bassetlaw, with bins not collected from people's homes if they are considered 'overloaded'.
Bassetlaw District Council's new policy means bins with raised lids, along with those with waste left next to them, will not be taken, Lincolnshire Live reports.
The policy aims to help keep the streets of Retford and Bassetlaw cleaner, but residents are concerned it will only encourage illegal rubbish dumping.
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I think it's a ridiculous idea.
She said: "All it's going to do is encourage fly-tipping. There's loads of it happening around here already.
"You can't help but have your bin lids stick up a bit.
"When your bin's overflowing or you're having to leave extra bags by the side, then it needs taking - not leaving for another fortnight.
"I don't see what good that'll do.
"We've been doing it this way for this long, so what's the problem with it now?"
In the run-up to the policy being enforced, yellow stickers will be placed on bins that would fail to comply with the new specifications, but the waste will still be collected.
From February 1 onwards, red stickers will be slapped on bins that have a raised lid or side waste next to them, and will not be collected until the resident's next collection date.
Among the reasons behind the policy is the safety of binmen, who can be "injured or hurt" when collecting and loading overflowing bins, or by "raised lids that can blow up into the faces of staff in blustery conditions," according to a Facebook post made by the district council.
Raised bin lids can also allow rubbish to spread and "encourage vermin".
Resident Chris Rushton, 62, said that the policy could encourage residents to be more responsible with their rubbish.
He said: "Sometimes you see bins where the lid is open all the way back and that's perhaps unreasonable.
"To some extent, people have got to be responsible.
"You can't leave a mountain of rubbish out and expect someone else to come along and deal with it - and there is a tip.
"But when is the bin classed as 'not closed'? Will they be using any discretion?"
"Then again, there's only two of us living in my home with no kids, so bin capacity isn't a problem," he added.
"I can definitely see it being a concern for bigger families, so perhaps they should be offered a second or bigger bin."
Another resident said that the policy left people with few options in how to handle their rubbish.
She said "I don't see how it'll make it easier for people to get rid of their rubbish.
"They'll either resort to fly-tipping or be forced to stack the rubbish up in their homes.
"Of course, people can take their rubbish to the tip but it can be absolute chaos trying to get in."
To read all the biggest and best stories first sign up to read our newsletters here .
