Ros Pope from Bishopsworth, Bristol, is a great believer in recycling. That's why she pays Bristol City Council £50 a year extra to have a green bin and uses it regularly for her garden waste and cardboard.

But when contractors failed to empty the bin, then drove back just to collect her rubbish, she was appalled.

Mrs Pope complained to the council after a neighbour phoned her at work to say her green bin had not been emptied because it was too full and the lid would not close.

The council says contractors simply missed Mrs Pope's bin.

But it was the authority's offer to have another vehicle sent round that surprised her. She said: "I could hardly believe it. How much money has that cost the council?

"My neighbour rang me at work to say the lid of the bin was six inches ajar and that's why they hadn't emptied it. I was livid and rang the council."

Mrs Pope, 50, of Vicarage Road, Bishopsworth, said collection teams were apparently not allowed to empty bins that were not properly closed for health and safety reasons.

A council spokeswoman said there was a risk of lids being damaged by the machinery in the waste lorries.

But, she said, the reason Mrs Pope's bin was not emptied was simply that it had been overlooked.

Mrs Pope said: "I'm an avid recycler. I sort all my glass, tins and plastic. Clothes go to the charity shop. We regularly take stuff to the tip.

"So I was angry that they hadn't taken the green waste. When I complained, though, the man said that, if I left the bin out, they would send someone round to empty it in the next 48 hours.

"By the time I got home, they'd already been and taken away the rubbish."

The council spokeswoman said: "Unfortunately, Mrs Pope's bin was initially missed by the waste collection crew.

"When she phoned the customer service centre, her complaint was immediately passed on to our contractors, who arranged for it to be collected within 48 hours as they are contractually obliged to do.

"This was at no extra cost to the council, as a collection vehicle on its way back to the depot picked it up.

"Any resident who experiences a missed collection should phone the customer service centre on 0117 922 2100 so that we can arrange another collection."