A Canberra family have been left puzzled after a new rubbish collection worker refused to empty their bin for two weeks in a row.
A nasty dispute has unfolded after a rubbish truck driver refused to collect the household rubbish of a family-of-nine for two consecutive weeks.
Ahmad Souweid and his family were out the front of their home in Chisholm, Canberra, on Tuesday last week when the Suez truck, driven by a new worker, arrived to collect their rubbish.
“We waved but he didn’t respond, then picked up the bin and just put it back down,” Mr Souweid told news.com.au.
After calling the company to explain the situation, another employee was sent out later that afternoon to empty the bin — but it was far from the end of the family’s trouble.
“This week, the same man came and we were in the front yard again, and he picked it up and dropped it, the same as the week before,” Mr Souweid said.
He phoned the company for a second time, but only to be transferred six times between employees until eventually speaking with a manager.
Mr Souweid said the man argued his family’s bin must have exceeded the permitted 80kg weight limit, and claimed he had seen footage which proved that true.
It was a claim Mr Souweid highly doubted, saying he had personally weighed this week’s bin himself, and it came it at 57.4kg, far below the limit.
“I even offered to pay the employee rates for them to come down, and pay extra if the bin was actually overweight, but he said no,” Mr Souweid said.
The only solution the employee offered was for the family to find a way to deliver the bin to the tip on their own, Mr Souweid claimed.
“The biggest thing that confused me was him telling me I needed to pay to have it thrown away, because I’m already paying the council,” he said.
After the hassle last week, the family ordered a bigger bin from the council which they hoped would resolve the issue, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.
“I’m overall just really disappointed,” Mr Souweid said.
Mr Souweid shares the home with his two parents and six other kids, who regularly gather at the front of the home and wave to passers-by.
Rubbish collection company responds
Suez stood by its worker when contacted by news.com.au, claiming the family’s bin did exceed the maximum weight limit.
“Suez is aware of a complaint raised by a resident of Chisholm whose residential bin was automatically rejected by our waste collection vehicle due to its weight,” a spokesperson said.
“The hydraulic system on our waste vehicles is designed to accommodate loads up to a maximum weight.
“As the resident’s bin was exceeded this weight, the vehicle was not capable of lifting and unloading it.
“We have communicated to the resident that for the bin to be emptied, it is necessary for the weight to be reduced and look forward to servicing the bin on the next collection.”
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