Thousands of bins have caused a stink after they were not collected during a Boxing Day strike, just as residents had extra waste from the Christmas period.
Striking action by garbage truck drivers in Blacktown council, in Sydney's west, saw 24 of 54 suburbs affected by canceled collections.
The council confirmed that bins were not being emptied in the suburbs, including Mount Druitt, Rooty Hill, Eastern Creek and The Ponds.
The strike will have a knock-on effect, with the council warning that other suburbs in their local government area could experience delays in completing the works as staff work through the backlog.
Strikes by garbage truck drivers in Blacktown City Council, western Sydney, hit 24 of 54 suburbs
Resident Ray Losh (pictured above) cannot open his balcony door or windows because of the flies the uncollected trash has attracted
Residents taking out their trash Tuesday morning found overflowing bins and clouds of flies as they tried to put their trash in something.
“I imagine it's going to be pretty terrible tomorrow,” resident Steve Rankilor said 9News.
“It's quite messy here, all the rubbish bins are very full,” said another resident, Raj Shama.
“You know all the flies and the smell are bothering you, they haven't come to pick it up.”
Ray Losh and his neighbors have not collected their bins for eight days and have found the situation overwhelming.
“You can't open the balcony or the windows, everything, all the flies come in,” Mr. Losh said.
Residents taking out their trash Tuesday morning found overflowing bins and compared the process of disposing of their trash to a game of Tetris
Blacktown City Council said the New South Wales Industrial Commission banned waste workers from striking over the Christmas period, but the order was ignored.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the United Services Union for comment.
Residents of the affected areas are asked to leave their waste containers at the curb until they are emptied.