Rolling programme of bin collections to start in South Tyneside as bin strike fallout continues

Bin collections in South Tyneside are set to follow a rolling programme as the impact of industrial action continues in the borough.

The programme, which will run from Tuesdays to Fridays, will see residents presenting both bins and leaving them out until one is collected.

Due to waste operatives taking action short of strike when they are working, it is having a significant impact on collection patterns, with some rounds being missed completely.

In order to ensure that all areas in the borough are being treated fairly, the rolling programme will commence from next Tuesday (March 26).

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.”

South Tyneside Council has set out a timeline as the rolling programme starts off, which is as follows:

• 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.

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

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South Tyneside Council has also confirmed that it is continuing to work with the trade unions to bring an end to the industrial dispute as soon as possible.

The Council's 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.”