Cheshire East suspends food waste recycling rollout due to staff shortages

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 10 Oct, 07:43 · Archive

Cheshire East Council has postponed its weekly food waste collection scheme to address shortages of binmen and HGV drivers.

Cheshire East Council has postponed the rollout of weekly food waste collections scheduled for late autumn, postponing the scheme to focus on stabilising its core waste and recycling services. The council cited shortages of binmen and HGV drivers, alongside vehicle breakdowns, as reasons for the increase in missed collections in recent months.

Almost all outdoor food waste caddies have been delivered to households, though the council is aware of a small number of missed deliveries. The council said those properties would be returned to in time for the new service starting. The original plan had included ordering new electric bin lorries and making changes to the waste transfer depot in Middlewich.

Councillor David Jefferay, the council's cabinet member for environment, sustainability and waste management, apologised for recent service failures. He stated that residents 'rightly expect their bins to be collected on time, week in, week out' and that the service had 'fallen significantly short of that standard'. The council says it has a 'recovery and stabilisation plan' in place. Wider changes to bin collections, including a move to three-weekly black bin collections, will not proceed until weekly food waste collections begin.

How it is being reported

• Binman and driver shortage crisis sees food waste recycling rollout suspendedCheshire East Council (CEC) has postponed the rollout of weekly food waste collections as it focuses on getting its core waste and recycling services back on track.Chester Standard · 10 Oct, 07:00
• Binman and driver shortage crisis see food waste recycling rollout suspendedCheshire East Council (CEC) has postponed the rollout of weekly food waste collections as it focuses on getting its core waste and recycling services back on track.Northwich Guardian · 8 Oct, 11:37

In this story: Cheshire East Council · Knutsford · Wilmslow · Middlewich · David Jefferay

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