Suspended Green Waste Collections from Monday 13th December to Friday 28 January inclusive
With the extra pressure of Christmas and the New Year period, which sees blue bin and black sack waste increase substantially, East Cambs Street Scene (ECSS) have made the tough decision to temporarily halt the collection of green waste services.
While blue recycling bins and black sacks for non-recyclable waste will continue to be collected as planned, green waste will not be collected from
Monday 13 December to Friday 28 January inclusive
We are being asked to help by:
- showing support for waste operatives
- reducing food and garden waste
- home composting
Why are ECSS making these changes?
The 60-strong team at ECSS have been short staffed as they juggle the effects of Covid-19 combined with a national shortage of HGV drivers.
To relieve the additional pressures put on the team over Christmas and the New Year, ECSS has made the difficult decision to temporarily halt the collection of green waste services to allow them to maintain other services.
Why are ECSS doing this now?
Reducing green waste collections over winter once people have put their gardens to bed and the leaves have fallen from the trees is a widely recognised way of helping to ease the pressure placed on employees during the busy Christmas and New Year periods.
Green waste typically drops off by two thirds over winter, whereas the amount of blue bin and black sack waste people generate tends to increase.
What are other local authorities doing?
To date, ECSS has been able to maintain a full waste collection service while many other local authorities have had to break over the winter months, or charge residents for standard green waste collections.
In Cambridgeshire for example, one authority reduces its green waste collections over the busy winter period while another only offers a paid-for service. Others in North East Lincolnshire, Central Bedfordshire and parts of Northamptonshire take a break from collecting green waste over the winter period.
What is ECSS doing to try to ensure this does not happen in the future?
ECSS is working hard to put measures in place to make sure that in the future it can continue to provide very high levels of service to residents.
It is currently recruiting three HGV drivers, fast-tracking two employees to enable them to obtain their HGV licence and working with existing staff who want to obtain HGV licences in the future.
Will we still continue to collect your blue bin?
Yes, blue recycling bins used for card and paper, plastics, tins, cans, glass bottles and jars, and cartons will continue to be collected as planned. If you have paid for an additional blue bin delivery, this will also be collected as normal.
Will we still collect your black sacks?
Yes, black sacks for non-recyclable waste will continue to be collected as planned.
Please note changes to collection dates from Saturday 18 December 2021
Will we still collect your brown sacks?
No, our brown sacks are for green waste only and therefore will not be collected between Monday 13 December to Friday 28 January inclusive.
Will we still collect your brown paid-for bin?
No, the brown paid-for bins are for green waste only and therefore will not be collected between Monday 13 December to Friday 28 January inclusive.
To compensate for this, residents who currently have a brown waste bin licence will receive a 15% discount when they renew for 2022/23.