Stoma bag user disgusted by her miss bin collections

Wednesday, 9 September 2026 19:36

By George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter

Jackie Allen, Churchill Street resident, Rochdale

A woman with a stoma bag is furious following string of missed bin collections. Jackie Allen has had various cancer treatment following bowel issues.

She says if her used stoma bags are left in the bin for too long, the smell is unbearable.

She is due to get a special bin to put her waste bags in, but has been putting them in the general waste bin in the meantime.

Jackie, from Spotland, is visually impaired and is supposed to get assistance from Rochdale council for collections.

Assisted collections involve bins being collected from people’s homes, rather than from the end of their drives.

Jackie has reported numerous missed collections this year. The Churchill Street resident said: “I have to keep ringing the council to collect the bin. I use a stoma bag and they really smell.

“I said they should give me a free month from council tax because they just don’t collect them.

“Every other week I have got to report it. It’s just not on. I’m partially sighted as well. It’s disgusting.

“It has been going on for months – the majority of 2026.”

Jackie is undergoing treatment for cancer and spends a lot of time travelling to and from hospital appointments.

Having to organise bin collections is only adding to her stress, she said.

“It makes me feel like they don’t care about me,” Jackie added. “It is stressing me out.

“I can’t live with a smell like that. I can’t go out into the garden because of the smell.”

Rochdale council officials recent visited Jackie. A spokesperson for the council said: “We’re sorry Ms Allen has experienced issues with her bin collections. We have since visited her and arranged for all her outstanding bins to be cleared.

“Her property has also now been added to our watch list, so future collections can be monitored to make doubly sure that her bins are emptied when they should be.”