Tom Wynn thinks his battle with City of Newcastle over his bins is absolute rubbish.
The Stockton resident has lived in the same Douglas Street home since 1979, and for at least two decades, as sure as night follows day, the bins would be collected each week.
The service hit a stumbling block about 2010, but after a few hiccups, numerous phone calls and a guarantee the bins would be collected, all was sweet with pick-up on Sylvan Lane again. Until now.
"I am beating my head on a brick wall," Mr Wynn said.
"I've tried to explain to the residents what's going on, and they're all mystified too."
About August 14, Mr Wynn said a council employee called to tell him that after at least 45 years without too many complications, his rubbish would not be picked up from Sylvan Lane anymore because of an "occupational health and safety issue" related to a telegraph pole on Fullerton Street.
"No other truck, no other company, no other service has failed to get to the other end of the lane," Mr Wynn said.
Instead, Mr Wynn said he was told he and the other six households who use the laneway for bin collection would need to walk them "hundreds of metres away" in front of their own, or other people's, houses.
"The telegraph pole's been there for 45 years, and until this past month, not one person has ever backed out of our lane because they couldn't see. Not one," Mr Wynn said.
"We feel like battlers battling against the council, which couldn't care less."
A City of Newcastle spokeswoman said it regularly reviews waste collection arrangements as part of its obligations under work health and safety legislation.
The spokeswoman said the "narrow width" of Sylvan Lane and other vehicle access constraints no longer meet modern operational and safety requirements and present an "unacceptable safety risk" for garbage trucks and staff.
During a review, the spokeswoman said other collection methods and vehicle movements were considered, including accessing the lane from different directions, but those options did not mitigate the risks.
"Affected residents were notified in writing ahead of their usual collection day and asked to place their bins at nearby alternate collection points, which had been identified on the adjacent main roads," the spokeswoman said.
"In most cases these new collection points were located at the front of the residents' properties.
"This is consistent with the standard waste collection service provided to the majority of households across Newcastle and is considered the safest and most sustainable collection option."
The council spokeswoman said "one resident" was offered an assistance service, where a staff member could move the resident's bin into place for collection when they are unable to do so because of age, a medical condition or disability.
"The Stockton resident declined this offer of support," she said.
"We understand the concerns raised by the affected resident and are committed to working constructively to deliver the most practical and safe collection arrangement possible."
