Rubbish in Whanganui's rural Brunswick Rd was not collected for weeks, a person has told the Wanganui Chronicle.
They said it would attract rats, and made two attempts to find out why the bags were still there. In one they phoned the contractor, Waste Management, and were "put on hold for 15 minutes, then nothing".
In another they emailed Whanganui District Council, and got no reply.
The reason the rubbish wasn't collected was that it didn't meet guidelines, a council spokeswoman said. To be collected by Waste Management it must be only household or domestic waste.
The bags must weigh no more than 20kg and must not contain sharp objects. No animal or toxic waste is allowed.