“The ambulance couldn’t even park outside my house because of the bins”
87-year-old Doreen says piles of uncollected bins and dumped rubbish since the bin strikes blocked paramedics from reaching her home
Last updated 11th Mar 2026
Doreen, who lives in Newtown, said paramedics had to stop further down Melbourne Avenue when they arrived to take her for medical treatment last week because the street was packed with uncollected bins and dumped waste.
She says they had no choice but to help her walk to the ambulance. “When the ambulance came for me to go to my treatment, there was nowhere for them to park,” she said.
“The place is so chock-a-block that there’s nowhere even for the ambulance.”
Doreen says two paramedics had to support her along the street before lifting her into the vehicle, “They asked if I wanted the chair or if I could walk with them. I said I’d walk. They held me up and did their best to get me there.”
She says the situation on the street has got worse since the bin strikes began, with uncollected bins piling up outside homes and rubbish being dumped when people can no longer keep it inside.
According to Doreen, some residents are leaving bags and cardboard along the road, while others are driving in from outside the area to dump rubbish in the street “People are flinging rubbish on the road, and some are coming from other areas and dumping it here in Melbourne Avenue.”
She says she refuses to do the same, keeping her own waste in her garden until it can be properly disposed of once collections return.
But the growing piles of bins and rubbish have left her feeling embarrassed about what visitors might see. “It makes me sick, I don’t even want anyone to come and visit me because I’m ashamed for them to see what it looks like.”
Doreen fears the situation could soon turn into a health crisis if the streets aren’t cleared “We’re going to get rats. Children will get infections. The place needs washing down properly now.”
She is now calling on the council to step in and tackle the growing rubbish problem that residents say has worsened since the bin strikes began “People need to keep the place clean. We can’t live like this.”
Residents in Newtown say the ongoing bin strikes have left streets overwhelmed with uncollected bins and dumped rubbish — but Doreen’s experience shows how the crisis is now affecting more than just appearances, with emergency access also being put at risk.