A pensioner who struggles to put out her own bins says she “feels let down” by the refuse service for failing to empty her rubbish for more than six weeks.

Joy Collins, 76, of Sutton Road, Maidstone, has not had her black bin emptied since March and says she feels refuse workers are “penalising old people” who are unable to put their bins out.

She is registered with Maidstone council’s assisted waste collections, where people who have difficulty taking their rubbish, recycling and garden bins out to the boundary of their property can request additional help. This service is specifically aimed at the elderly or those with a disability and live alone.

Daughters Jenny Jennings and Debbie Collins have contacted the council 10 times to report the missed collection and in the meantime are having to load their mum’s rubbish into the car and dispose of it in their own black bins.

The issue comes after a new £125 million bin collection contract came into force on March 25.

Biffa had run the collections for the Mid Kent Waste Partnership for the past 10 years but was replaced by Suez UK.

A spokesperson for Maidstone council said it “apologises for the disruption caused to this customer” and said the new Suez Recycling and Recovery service had had some “teething problems” since the new contract began.

Joy, who has lived in Maidstone for 40 years, said: “It feels unbearable, and I’ve cried - I’ve got a black bin full up to the brim.

“They’re penalising the elderly and anyone with a disability who can’t put the bin out.

“Since this other company has taken over, it’s been hell.”

The 76-year-old, who struggles with her mobility, is unable to get up and down her sloped drive but, in her desperation, she has tried to put the bins out herself.

Daughter Jenny, 45, from Tovil Green, said: “You don’t get put on the assisted collection list for no reason – there is a reason why you need help with your bins.

“It’s been stressful ringing her up and hearing her crying – it’s a worry knowing she could come out to take her bins down and fall over.”

Since reporting the missed collection, the sisters say the council has admitted it was facing a problem with its assisted bin service and said it had filed a missed report which would be passed over to the refuse company, but that it would be unable to contact the crew.

Debbie, 51, says she was told last week by the council the bin crew had ticked the property off on its computer as being done – but it has not been emptied.

Joy added: “I feel let down by the system – I pay my council tax and have lived here for 40 years.”

The pensioner, who spends a lot of her time waiting for the bin crews to attend, says she has seen refuse collectors outside the drive who have left without emptying the bins.

She is now urging the company to “do what they are supposed to do”.

While the situation continues, the sisters have purchased an assisted bin collection sticker to signpost the refuse workers that help is needed.

In response, Maidstone council said yesterday (Friday): “MBC apologises for the disruption caused to this customer and any others who may be experiencing difficulties with their collections.

“The council is aware that the new SUEZ Recycling & Recovery service has had some teething problems since the new contract started which has resulted in missed collections in some areas which we are trying to resolve.

“SUEZ has informed us it has missed collections for this property for a couple of weeks now, with the most recent yesterday (Thursday). We apologise for this and have been assured this should be collected today (Friday).

“This property will be highlighted to the crew on the scheduled day next week to make sure it will be collected on the correct day from now on.”

Back in March, there was a letter sent to residents living near Invicta Park, Maidstone, from the authority, which said: “A new fleet of vehicles will be introduced which will be fitted with enhanced technology such as CCTV and live tracking.

“It will improve reliability, reduce the environmental impact and provide a more efficient service.”

Maidstone council cabinet member for environmental services, Cllr Patrik Garten, said: “Maidstone collects 17,000 bins every day and we are pleased to welcome the new waste contractor to oversee this delivery.

“The state-of-the-art new fleet will have better telematics, live tracking and CCTV to alert managers at SUEZ and MBC in real time if, and when, problems occur.

“This also includes smaller vehicles which will be better equipped to assist in areas that we know have access issues.

“As with any project of this scale, there will be unforeseen start-up problems, for which we apologise in advance, but we are prepared to face them, and we will endeavour to deliver the best possible service for our residents.”

Maidstone council had said the new contract would offer the chance to increase recycling rates across the three authorities.