Rolling Programme of Bin Collections from Next Week

Bin collections across South Tyneside will follow a rolling programme (Tuesdays - Fridays) as the Borough continues to feel the impact of continuous industrial action.

Residents are advised to present both bins and leave them out until one is collected.

Waste operatives have been taking action short of strike which is having a significant impact on collection patterns with some rounds being missed completely. In many cases the same rounds are being missed each week.

In order to ensure that all areas are treated fairly, a rolling programme will commence from Tuesday 26 March 2024.

A spokesperson for South Tyneside Council said: "First of all, we would like to apologise for the inconvenience and thank all of our residents for their patience and understanding. We know that some areas of the Borough are being impacted more than others.

"We've had a catch-up programme in place to deal with any missed collections, but to ensure everybody received a fair level of service we will now revert to a rolling collections programme.

"Crews will pick up where they left off each day and anything missed at the end of the week will be prioritised the following week.

"We want to ensure that all residents' bins are emptied and they don't miss their collections, which is why we are asking that all bins be presented. To avoid confusion in terms of which bin to present, residents are advised to put all bins out and leave them out until one is collected."

Residents in Whitburn who have an additional bin as part of a pilot scheme are advised to present all three.

• Tuesday 26 March - Friday 29 March (inclusive) - Bins collections resume. All bins to be presented. One will be collected.
• Tuesday 2 April - Friday 5 April (inclusive) - No bin collections due to planned strike action;
• From Tuesday 9 April - Rolling bin collection programme resumes. All bins to be presented. One will be collected.

The Council is working with trade unions to bring an end to the dispute as swiftly as possible.

The Council spokesperson added: "There is a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes to address workforce concerns. The HR process in respect of the collective grievance has concluded.  

"An action plan is now being co-produced that will clearly set out planned actions and timescales. Representatives from the workforce are working with service management, Trade Union representatives and Senior Council Officers to produce the final action plan for approval by all parties. There is a clear commitment from all parties to move forward and put things right."

To help mitigate the impact of the ongoing action, and to support people to dispose of excess household and recyclable waste following this week's strike, skips are available from 9am - 3pm, Friday 22 March until Sunday 24 March. Full details of locations and guidance is available at Waste Disposal Industrial Action - South Tyneside Council

The Council has also increased the number of booking slots (by more than 2,000 per week) at the Recycling Village at Middlefields Industrial Estate, South Shields.

To book a slot visit www.southtyneside.gov.uk/recyclingvillage Residents are asked to cancel their booking if not needed or if they choose to use one of the skips.

The Customer Contact Centre continues to experience a high volume of calls relating to the industrial action and bin collection arrangements.

To support staff to deal with other enquiries, residents with waste related queries are encouraged to visit the Council's website at www.southtyneside.gov.uk in the first instance, where they will find further information including a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).