Shropshire Refuse Collection Update Brief
With the continued disruption to refuse collection services and further snowfall forecast we feel it will be helpful to send you a daily update on the collection situation whilst the difficult weather conditions continue.
Friday 8th Jan.
| Collection area | Percentage of collections made |
| Shrewsbury and Atcham | 50% |
| South Shropshire | 30% |
| Bridgnorth | 90% |
| Oswestry | 60% |
| North Shropshire | 95% |
Monday 11th January.
| Collection area | Percentage of collections made | Particular issues |
| Shrewsbury and Atcham | 95% of residual waste collected in urban areas | Only 40% of green and recycling collected in Montford Bridge and Nesscliffe areas |
| South Shropshire | 10% of residual waste collected in Church Stretton
20% of residual waste collected outside of Church Stretton 90% residual waste collected in Ludlow All separate food waste collections in Ludlow made. |
The green waste collection due this week in South Shropshire (commencing 11th January) has been replaced with a residual waste collection. However despite extensive press and media coverage only 20% of households presented the residual bin.
Veolia are attempting to collect recycling bins by sending the crews out again but success will depend upon time available and weather conditions. REMEMBER RESIDUAL ONLY IN SOUTH SHROPSHIRE FOR WEEK BEGINNING 11th JAN AND NORMAL CALENDAR NEXT WEEK. |
| Bridgnorth | 60% residual waste collected in Highley
80% of Green waste collected in Bridgnorth urban 50% of Green Waste collected in Bridgnorth rural |
|
| Oswestry | 75% of residual waste collected in Oswestry Town Centre
50% residual collected in St Martins 90% residual collected in Trefonen 75% residual collected in Porth-y-waen and area |
Only 20% of residual waste collected in rural areas close to the Welsh border. |
| North Shropshire | 75% collected | Side roads remain difficult |
Tuesday 12th January.
| Collection area | Problems anticipated. |
| Shrewsbury and Atcham | Church Pulverbatch and Long Mynd collections of green waste and recycling unlikely. |
| South Shropshire | Continued difficulties in Church Stretton |
| Bridgnorth | Green waste collections for Highley and Claverley difficult. |
| Oswestry | High Lea collection unlikely |
| North Shropshire | Side roads continue to cause problems Buntingsdale Estate anticipated to be difficult. |
As a general note the condition of roads are very specific and some roads in the same area will be safe and others not. Accordingly residents in neighbouring street may be affected differently. The decision on whether a road and/or footpath is sufficiently safe to make a collection must be made by the driver of the vehicle, who is the senior member of the collection team, and also has the best information, being at the site.
Officers are in contact with every depot twice daily to get an update on the situation and the success of collection will depend very much on the very local circumstances.
We have also received the first feedback from the collections in South Shropshire where green waste rounds have been suspended in favour of dedicating more vehicles to residual (mixed household) waste. It would appear that 80% of properties in South Shrops on scheduled green waste collection rounds had only put out green waste bins and therefore had not received the message sent out via radio (Sunshine FM, Beacon, Radio Shropshire) two local papers, Town & Parish Councils, the Council website and the Customer Service Centre (CSC).
Residents are advised to stick to their regular collection schedule both in terms of the day of collection and on the types of waste that will be collected. Side waste will be taken on that day, which will allow for the backlog to be cleared. Also, in relation to this, waste should be separated into the appropriate bin i.e. only green waste and cardboard in the green bin.
This message has been sent out via radio stations, the web site, the CSC, and in several press releases. It has also been communicated to town and parish councils via SALC.
Currently it is our opinion that to collect recyclable waste and mix it with waste destined for landfill would be confusing and counter-productive in the long run.
I also attach the frequently asked questions that have been provided to the customer service centre that hopefully give you information to answer most enquiries.
We are continuing to monitor the situation on a very local level and will review our approach as circumstances develop.
FAQ
Emergency Waste Collections – General Questions
(This does not apply to South Shropshire)
What should residents do now if their bins have not been collected?
Proceed as normal. Please take your bin/boxes in and put your waste out on the next scheduled day as per your collection calendar.
What if the waste will not fit in the bin or the bin is overflowing?
As this is an emergency situation, we will accept additional side waste in bags on the next scheduled collection, this should be of the same type of material (ie. General household waste with your household bin and garden waste and cardboard with your garden waste bin. The same also applies with your kerbside recycling boxes).
If my bin has not been emptied, should I leave my bin out?
No. Please take your bin in and put it out on the next scheduled day of collection. (Except in South Shropshire)
Why can’t vehicles access the side roads when I can drive my car down the road?
The collection vehicles are large heavy vehicles that are stopping and starting along the route. The implications of loss of control of these vehicles is much greater than for a car and the safety of residents and crews is our priority.
Although we really this is an important service we have to put this into perspective of health and safety of the general public.
If I can walk from my house to my vehicle along the pavement why can’t the refuse collectors?
On average the refuse collectors have to walk at least 12 miles a day on each round pulling bins and carrying recycling boxes. Therefore they are more exposed to the hazards of icy pavements than most residents.
Why has my refuse been collected but my recycling boxes haven’t?
It is more difficult to keep balance if the operatives are carrying recycling boxes. If they slip they have no hands free to steady themselves.
SOUTH SHROPSHIRE AREA ONLY
- Some parts of South Shropshire have been impassable for over three weeks which means that some residents have already missed two collections.
- Therefore, in the South Shropshire area we are suspending garden waste collections next week so that we can make additional refuse collections.
- From 11 January we are asking residents in the South Shropshire area only to put their general household waste bin or black bag out on their scheduled collection day and leave it out until it is emptied, which maybe later in the week
General points
- There are a range of bring sites across the county as well as six Household recycling centres for recycling materials.
- We collect from 131,000 properties across the county every week
- These are extreme weather conditions
