Bin collection problems ‘may last for months’
PROBLEMS with refuse collections due to a dearth of drivers ‘could last up to and beyond December’.
A rural resident said her monthly recycling collections have been suspended due to the shortage.
Lesley Ham, who lives near Whitworth Rake, said her recycling was not collected last Tuesday and by the end of the week she had been told by Rossendale Borough Council the service had been suspended.
A council spokesperson said the national shortage of Large Goods Vehicle Drivers (LGV) across the country is having a ‘major impact’ on their refuse collection services.
They added that the council is prioritising general refuse collection over some other services such as bulky waste collections and that these difficulties could continue up to and beyond December.
Lesley did say her rubbish was collected by a special collection last Friday after contacting the council, but added she was still unsure about the future of the collections.
“I was advised on three separate occasions our bin collection has been suspended indefinitely,” she said. “For our rural properties they only collect the recycling once a month and because of where we are with foxes and badgers, you can’t leave rubbish out. By Tuesday afternoon it had already been got at so the rubbish is just then strewn down the track.
“That’s why I rang and they said they had a driver shortage and then I was told it was suspended on Thursday. There must be some forward planning of the situation?
“Is it rural properties they’re targeting because it takes a bit longer? We’ve already gone a month and it’s going into five weeks, but if next month we haven’t got a recycling collection again we’ll have another month of waste.”
A spokesperson for Rossendale Borough Council said: “As has been reported nationally there is a shortage of Large Goods Vehicle Drivers (LGV) across the country which is affecting deliveries to supermarkets, restaurants and other retail outlets.
“This shortage is also having a major impact on refuse collection services for us and many other councils, as qualified LGV drivers are also needed to drive refuse trucks.
“We are doing our best to empty all bins as scheduled by adapting collection rounds and reallocating staff where we can. Where possible we are also working at weekends to collect missed bins, but these difficulties are likely to continue up to and beyond December.”
The spokesperson added: “We are prioritising general refuse collection over some other services such as bulky waste collections and bin deliveries, meaning some services may take longer. We will endeavour to deliver the best possible service in extremely challenging circumstances: however, this is unfortunately outside the control of the council and very much a national issue.”