Council say put your black bins out next week on normal collection day

Wrexham Council say they hope to collect ‘most households’ black bins and recycling next week.

After two weeks of strike action by Unite, members of the trade union are expected to return to work from Monday. Workers represented by Unite have taken to the picket line after members of the union overwhelmingly rejected the local authority employers’ pay offer of £1,925. The deal has been described as “a poorer offer than last year”, despite the cost-of-living crisis having worsened.

The council added that “with the expectation that staffing levels will be temporarily back to normal, Wrexham Council is hoping to make up lost ground and has a simple message for local households: Please put your black bins and recycling out on your normal collection day (even if this isn’t your normal week for black bins), as our plan is to ensure we empty all black bins and recycling containers (including food waste) during the week commencing September 18.
Please don’t put your green bins out, as unfortunately we won’t be able to collect garden waste.”

The council have noted there is likely another strike for a further three weeks from September 25.

They also pointed to the recycling centres that have “seen a significant increase in the amount of waste being taken to these sites over the last week or so” – with a reader posting on the forums noting that previous strict rules have been relaxed, “you are now allowed to put food waste in compostable bags into the green waste skip, along with your garden cuttings”.

Councillor Hugh Jones, Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Environment, said: “We’ll be using next week to prioritise black bin and recycling collections, and although we can’t guarantee we’ll get to everyone, we’re confident we’ll get to most households.

“Unfortunately, as we prioritise black bins, we won’t have the resources to also collect garden waste, and we understand that many people will be frustrated about this. However, we have to concentrate on black bins and recycling, as these will be causing the most concern.

“We’re working hard to manage services in difficult circumstances, and would like to remind people of our tips for reducing and managing waste, and thank everyone for their continued patience.”

The next round of strike action is set to run from September 25 until October 15, and the council will issue further advice to households next week.