Councillors in Westmeath are threatening to withdraw their support for the privatisation of the county's bin collection service.
One claimed the new service had been a "disaster" since it started in June.
Councillors said they had received complaints from the public of different pick-up times each week, streets being overlooked in the weekly collection, and tags being removed without the bins being lifted.
But Mr Terry Brady, a spokesman for Allied Waste, which operates the service, denied that tags had been removed without the bins being emptied.
There were also reports of poor notification of non-collection over a bank holiday weekend, and, in one case, a bin being left outside a house for two-and-half weeks.
Cllr Dan McCarthy (Lab) said the service was "a disaster". In his area, the pick-up time varied from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., he said. The decision to contract out the bin collection service is expected to save the council about €350,000 a year.
A five-year contract has been signed with Allied Waste, but council official Mr Barry Keogh responded to councillors' inquiries about an opt-out clause by saying: "if a contractor doesn't perform to the required standard, he will not be left in the job".
Some councillors who supported the privatisation move are unhappy with the situation. "I supported it at the time. But how they could go and leave out an entire street or road is just beyond me," said Cllr Mark Cooney (FG).
"I approved of it. But I too have received numerous phone calls of complaint," said Cllr Frankie Keena (FF).
Mr Brady said there had been some teething problems with the service. "We are only getting used to the runs now. . . We are getting on top of the service."