South Tyneside bin strikes: Residents told to only put out their grey household waste bins

South Tyneside Council has announced that it is moving to the next stage of its contingency plans as workers within its Waste Department continue with their industrial actions.

The local authority has reminded residents that members of the GMB and Unite unions are currently on strike this week (January 23-26) and there will be no bin collections.

However, when crews return to work next week, residents in the borough should only present their grey household bin every day from Tuesday, January 30, until Friday, February 2.

Even though waste crews are back to work, they are continuing to take action on non-strike weeks that goes beyond short of strike ("working to rule" and "go slows").

South Tyneside Council has stated that it will be looking to prioritise grey bins that were not emptied after a day was missed last week.

A spokesperson for the Council said: “We understand how frustrating and challenging the situation is for all our residents and we are working hard to mitigate the impact of the strikes as much as we can.

“We are well aware of the concerns relating to the build-up of general waste due to grey household bins being repeatedly missed by strike action. General waste does present a greater public health risk.

“For this reason, we are asking all residents to present their grey household waste bin every day from Tuesday to Friday until it is collected.

“We are also concerned that residents whose scheduled bin collection day is normally a Friday are being affected by the ongoing actions of waste collection crews not completing all their rounds within the week.

"We will be looking to prioritise those grey bins that were missed last Friday.

“By making these changes to our collection patterns, we can send the crews to where they are required. Please bear with us.

"We will get to residents when we can.”

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South Tyneside Council has also called on residents to be patient throughout this difficult period as it works to resolve the industrial action.

The spokesperson added: “Our people are our strongest asset and our waste service team are valued members of the workforce, supporting 72,000 households and emptying 6.5millions bins every year.

“We know this is extremely challenging and frustrating for all; for crews, the Council and the communities we serve.

“It is important for residents to recognise that our staff and councillors are there to help and advise, and they should feel safe while performing their work duties.

"We appeal for patience and understanding during this difficult period.”

South Tyneside Council has also temporarily extended the opening hours (now 8am to 7pm) at the Recycling Village on the Middlefields Industrial Estate, in South Shields.

It has also increased the number of booking slots by more than 2,000 per week in an effect to mitigate the impact of the strikes.

The local authority has stated that it is continuing to work through other contingency arrangements, including how we can support those who have additional needs.

Residents are warned that the Customer Contact Centre is experiencing a high volume of calls relating to the industrial actions and bin collection arrangements.

As a result, residents with waste-related queries are encouraged to visit the Council's website at: www.southtyneside.gov.uk, where they will find a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

The Council is also calling on residents to be respectful and friendly to its staff and elected members.