No collections on second day of bin strike action

THERE will be no bin collections across Warrington, today, Wednesday, on the second day of national strike action.

Warrington Borough Council had been hoping there would be only minimal disruption caused by the national bin strike action over pay by the Unite Union.

But today, a council spokesperson confirmed: “We are unfortunately facing continued disruption due to industrial action and given current staffing levels, we will not be collecting waste today, Wednesday 4 October.
“This ongoing dispute is related to negotiations which are held nationally and is not about local conditions of service in Warrington.
“For the remainder of the strike period, from Thursday 5 October onwards, please put your household waste and recycling bins out as usual, unless advised otherwise. “However, if they are not collected by 4pm, please bring them back in for storage, until your next scheduled collection day.
“Collections will be assessed on a day-to-day basis, depending on the staff we have available.”
In the meantime, people are advised to:
•Flattening or squashing as much household waste or recycling as possible, to maximise space in your bins
•“Pooling” bin space with your neighbours, for those who routinely create less household waste/recycling
•Keeping household recycling items indoors, if you have the space available and your bin is full
•Taking what you can to your local community recycling centre, which have extended opening hours during the strike period:
oWoolston and Gatewarth Community Recycling Centres, 8am-6pm, Monday to Sunday
oSandy Lane Community Recycling Centre, 10am-4pm, Monday to Sunday

The spokesperson continued: “We appreciate that the strike action will cause you disruption, and we are grateful for your patience and understanding during this period. “We will offer a further update soon about how we will support the catch-up operation following the industrial action.”

Minimal disruption turns to no refuse collections as bin strike starts