Temporary waste drop-off sites to return in South Tyneside to help with bin collections backlog

South Tyneside Council have confirmed that temporary waste drop-off points are set to be reinstated across the borough this Bank Holiday weekend to help deal with the bin collection backlog caused by the ongoing industrial action.

The skips will be back in place from Saturday, May 25, to Monday, May 27 (inclusive) and from Saturday, June 1, until Monday, June 3 (inclusive), from 9am until 3pm.

The temporary waste skips will be available at the following locations:

• Boldon Colliery – car park at The Shack (general waste skip).
• Hebburn – Hebburn Central car park to the side (general waste skip).
• Hebburn – Clegwell Community Association, Mountbatten Avenue (one general waste, one recycling waste).
• Jarrow – Hedworthfield Community Association, Cornhill (pedestrian access only; one general waste skip).
• South Shields – car park at rear of shops on Centenary Avenue (two general waste skips).
• South Shields – Chuter Ede Hut, Galsworthy Road, car park opposite flats (not main car park, one general waste skip and one recycling skip).
• South Shields – One Trinity Green side car park (one general waste skip).
• South Shields – Winchester Street car park (one general waste skip).
• Whitburn – car park behind Latimers (one general waste and one recycling skip).

The general waste drop-off points are for bagged domestic household waste only - the sites are not for the disposal of trade waste including asbestos, DIY waste and rubble, medical, flammable or hazardous materials, gas bottles or furniture items.

The skips have to be hand sorted a the Council’s transfer station and prohibited materials could endanger the workforce.

The recycling drop-off points are for the dry mixed recyclable materials that residents would normally dispose of in their blue recycling bins only.

Residents are reminded that there should be no plastic bags or black sacks put into the skips.

The local authority has confirmed that full skips will be regularly exchanged for an empty skip throughout the day until 3pm.

If the skips are full, residents should not leave waste at the side of the skips - there will be no skips in place overnight.

A South Tyneside Council spokesperson said: “We understand how frustrating and challenging the situation is for all our residents and we thank everyone for their patience.

“We appreciate people are sick and tired of the situation. We continue to work extremely hard to mitigate the impact of bin rounds running behind as much as we can, including bringing in additional resources wherever possible.  

“We are aware of the concerns relating to the build-up of waste and residents being repeatedly affected by disruption to bin collections. For this reason, we are reintroducing the temporary waste drop-off sites to help alleviate the issue.

“We appreciate that not everyone can get to the drop off points, or the Recycling Village, which is why we appeal for people to support each other and help family, friends and neighbours if they can.

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“We are also looking at what else we can do, exploring all options, to help clear the backlog of collections and will update residents in due course regarding any catch-up service we may be able to provide.”

South Tyneside Council has confirmed that the rolling programme of bin collections will continue from Tuesday to Friday, with crews picking up where they left off each working day.

Residents should present all bins for collection and leave them out until one is collected.

This includes green bins for those who are subscribed to the garden waste collection service.

Full details of skip location and guidance is available at: https://www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/20413/Waste-Disposal-Industrial-Action.

Residents can also dispose of their excess waste at the Recycling Village at Middlefields Industrial Estate by visiting: https://www.southtyneside.gov.uk/recyclingvillage.