Jane, it is no surprise to me that you work in the industry as your comments echo responses given to residents when they express concern. "Why all the fuss?" "Rubbish smells" and "if you have had maggots in your bin you are not managing your waste properly". We have heard them all.
You do not say how long your Council has operated an alternate weekly collection. If it is in its infancy your residents may not yet have experienced the unpleasant effects. Everyone has different levels of tolerance. Many of us could not do the refuse collectors' work. The smells and maggots are, in some cases, making people physically sick. I would be more than happy to send you copies of press articles and letters from around the country confirming this.
Every council is judged on the standard of services they provide. Council tax has to reflect that. One Council has already changed political leadership, they claim, due solely to the promise of bringing back weekly general waste collections. Let us hope more follow!