Rubbish pile-ups at Bristol recycling banks during bin strikes

Residents in a number of Bristol areas are seeing rubbish pile up at recycling banks as bin strikes continue

In Cadbury Heath, hundreds of bags of household rubbish have been left outside the recycling skips in The Batch community centre car park.

And in Warmley, similar piles of waste have been left in the community centre car park.

South Gloucestershire Council has introduced the additional ‘sort it centres’ and skips because of the ongoing pay dispute between UNITE members and SUEZ, the waste company hired by the council.

At the weekend, residents took to social media to warn people of the lengthy delays they were facing at local rubbish tips, including the one in Staple Hill.

The strike action is expected to last until September 3 and local residents are already worried about the increase in rubbish left at designated sites.

Cadbury Heath resident Sarah Vigurs said: “It’s been happening since the strikes and although the council has been good enough to supply these big blue bins, it’s getting out of control.

“I really feel for the immediate neighbours, there has been a lot of broken glass next to the piles of rubbish, too.”

The additional recycling sites are Yate Sort It Centre, Mangotsfield Sort It Centre, Thornbury Sort It Centre, Stoke Gifford Park and Ride (Parkway Station), Lyde Green Park and Ride, Page Road short stay car park in Staple Hill and SGC North Way site at Filton.

A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said: “We appreciate that the industrial dispute between Suez and Unite is causing significant disruption and we wholeheartedly thank our residents for their patience and the ongoing effort they are putting into recycling, disposing of their waste and continuing to help the environment in the circumstances.

“In addition to our Sort It centres in Yate, Mangotsfield and Thornbury, we have introduced extra deposit points to dispose of recycling and food waste which are cleared twice a day during the week, and once a day during the weekend.

“We ask residents to sort their recycling into the relevant compartments of the recycling containers provided. If the containers are waiting to be emptied, we ask for the recycling to be left by the side and not on top of the containers, until they are cleared.

“We are monitoring use at these sites and are constantly reviewing with Suez what additional measures we can put in place with the resources available. Further advice and information on the kerbside collections affected by the ongoing strike action and what to do with your containers, is updated on our website at www.southglos.gov.uk/servicedisruption , or call our Streetcare team on 01454 868000.”