Domestic waste collections to be prioritised in South Tyneside throughout the summer

As the industrial dispute within South Tyneside Council’s Waste Department continues, the local authority has stated that domestic waste collections will be prioritised throughout the summer period.

The Council has confirmed that it will immediately move to prioritise grey household waste bins and additional crews will be working six-days-a-week to get waste collections back on track.

Only grey bins will be collected - with residents asked to present their bin every day.

South Tyneside Council has stated that it is only collecting grey household waste bins at this time due to the greater public health risk that it presents.

A spokesperson for South Tyneside Council said: “Its all hands on deck to clear the backlog.

“The Council signed the Memorandum of Understanding in a bid to provide a period of stability, end action short of strike and get the service back on track.

“The workforce has not held up their side of the agreement and waste collections have continued to be disrupted.

“This cannot go on. We have heard for some time the frustrations of our residents. We do listen and we know this cannot be tolerated any longer.

Read more: ‘Fear for our jobs’ - GMB members reveal working conditions in South Tyneside Council's Waste Department

“We have tried to engage the workforce to address any concerns. We know there are improvements to make within the service and we have wanted to push on and do the right thing for our staff, but our residents and the communities we serve must come first.

“We need to do everything we can to get crews back to normal duties.

“We want to thank the public once again for their tolerance of the situation and we hope this no-nonsense approach will address the backlog built up as a result of current working practices and get collections back to normal.”

Sign up for the Shields Gazette’s free email newsletters to read the latest headlines and breaking news alerts

With all available Council resources focused on clearing the backlog of general household waste, the local authority has stated that it is looking to put in place a number of sites where people can bring recyclable materials.

These sites will be for recycling only and with be in addition to the six existing sites that are already in place throughout the borough, as well as the Recycling Village at Middlefields.

Read more: GMB warns of an indefinite South Tyneside bin strikes following workforce suspensions

Residents can also dispose of waste at the Recycling Village at Middlefields Industrial Estate which has 650 slots available every day.

To book a slot at the Recycling Village visit: www.southtyneside.gov.uk/recyclingvillage.

South Tyneside Council has confirmed that green waste collections will continue as normal.