Thousands of people are caught up in a recycling backlog in Huddersfield.
They have asked Kirklees Council to take away bulky waste - and are still waiting.
It is believed there is a backlog of at least six weeks for collecting items such as old beds, wardrobes, furniture and fridges.
Now council staff are working extra shifts to try and clear up the delays.
But Clr Phil Scott (Lib Dem, Almondbury) has criticised the council’s Labour administration for letting the huge backlog in bulky waste collections develop.
He fears much of the rubbish could end up being fly-tipped.
He said the part of the council which collects bulky household items and electrical good mostly free of charge, has not had sufficient resources to meet demand resulting in 1000’s of requests for collections not taking place.
Every year the council receives more than 30,000 requests for collections.
Clr Scott said: “I think that the Cabinet Member’s failure to act quickly and decisively makes them look inept. Thousands have been saved in other parts of the waste operation and £40,000 a year is generated through green waste collections.
“The Cabinet Member should have made sure that some of this money went on paying for additional staff much sooner than this.
“Having fridges and household furniture standing outside homes all over the borough is simply not good enough and will have a negative impact on both local people and on our local economy.”
His comments came after council officials revealed they are getting 250 calls about flytipping every month.
A spokesman for the council said: “It is true that due to staff shortages and our prioritising resources to ensure the regular domestic waste collection schedules are maintained, that there are delays in bulky item collections and they are taking much longer than we would like.
“We have put messages on the website and on the phone lines advising people of the delay and advising of alternative means of disposing of such items, for example contacting charity collectors or taking them to the nearest household waste recycling centre.
“We are working weekends to try and reduce the backlog and have also recruited some temporary staff to bolster resources.
“We would ask people to consider the alternatives and be patient. We will fulfil requests as soon as possible.”
