NORTH East Lincolnshire Council leader Chris Shaw said the authority had done its best in difficult circumstances after coming under fire over delays in collecting recycling.
During the four day Christmas period, the amount of waste and recycling rocketed, combined with bad weather leaving collections of some wheelie bins and recycling boxes behind schedule.
Councillor Shaw, pictured, said: "I appreciate there has been a bit of a delay for some areas.
"The sheer amount of waste over the Christ- mas period is that much more we've had 24 crews out doing collections."
He added: "Actually, over Christmas we took waste that was in bins and on the street, we even cleared rubbish that was left in an alleyway."
He said that a "fair job" had been done considering the adverse weather conditions.
However, the council said the collection of dry recyclables was still running behind schedule in a small number of areas.
Residents are asked to present their recycling boxes on their normal collection day and the backlog will be cleared by tomorrow.
Additional vehicles have been deployed to clear the backlog with 24 crews currently operating instead of the normal 11.
Councillor David Watson, cabinet member for environment, said: "The crews do a fantastic job in often difficult conditions and I would personally like to thank them for their efforts in clearing the backlog of collections over the last couple of weeks."
He added: "I would also like to thank the residents for their patience and, on behalf of the council, I apologise for any inconvenience the delays may have caused."
