Residents in Redcar and Cleveland are having to wait up to two months for new bins with the council confirming there are problems with their supply.
Anyone requesting a new bin is being told there is a standard wait of between about six to eight weeks.
Redcar and Cleveland Council said there was a delay in delivering new bins to householders because of issues with the supply of plastics to the companies that produce them.
It said the problem was affecting other councils and organisations across the country.
Read more: This North East village has been named in UK's top ten for a peaceful getaway
Residents can request replacement bins, or in some instances additional bins for recycling, which come free of charge.
One councillor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that bins were being shipped from abroad and some that recently arrived had been damaged and were unusable, something the council was unable to confirm.
The councillor said: “Apparently they come from Germany.
“I know that there were quite a few orders received by the council which had been severely damaged in shipment so they could not be distributed to those waiting for them, so the council had to re-order.
“They were all cracked and the lids were falling off.
“On average for a 360 litre bin the wait is about six to eight weeks.”
A report last month by Councillor Barry Hunt, the cabinet member for neighbourhoods and housing, referred to “struggling” supply lines in respect of receptacles and vehicles used in the management of household waste.
A council spokesman said: “The council is able to confirm that there is a delay in the supply of new bins which is due, in turn, to the supply of some plastics to production companies.
Read more: Not giving info to police backfires for this County Durham driver in a big way
“This is a problem shared with other councils and organisations across the country and we recognise the difficulties that this may cause some of our residents.
“However, we are now progressing orders through alternative suppliers to meet demand as soon as possible.
“We are also looking at the quantity of bins that we hold as stock and the timing of orders given the longer production and delivery time scales.”
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here