Sefton Council is still in the process of emptying green bins across the borough.
The council has had issues for months with a number of different stories appearing about the reason behind the bin disruption. Earlier this month the ECHO saw a letter that had been sent to workers in Halton Council offering waste disposal teams shifts working for Sefton Council assisting with emptying bins.
The letter, sent to those in the waste and recycling team at Halton Council, as well as teams at other local authorities, outlined work that would take place "over a number of Saturdays" to assist with the emptying of green bins in the borough. The letter outlined that work would start no earlier than June 25, 2022, would offer an "enhanced rate" and would focus on South Sefton areas.
READ MORE: Mum, 91, worried rats will infest her home as bins can be smelt 'from space'
Before Sefton looked to reportedly source staff from other councils, it was also revealed that Sefton Council's own staff had abuse hurled at them at the beginning of May as they tackled the delays up and down the region. The council had confirmed at the end of April that due to "on the ground staff" being off ill with coronavirus there would be delays.
Following the leaked email, Sefton Council released a statement over rumours of an industrial dispute over waste collection. The statement put an end to the rumours, with people up and down the borough becoming irritated with the ongoing delays.
A Sefton Council spokesperson said on June 9: "Further to recent information circulating on social media platforms and other media outlets, Sefton Council can confirm that there is no industrial dispute in relation to the Waste Collection Service.
"The Joint Trade Unions (JTU) are in dialogue with management and all parties are working collaboratively to resolve any issues that have been identified within the service. Furthermore, the JTU acknowledge that to achieve resolution to the current backlog of bin collections, overtime has been offered to staff to address the backlog."
Since then, the council confirmed nine areas in Sefton that are being focused on by the council, with them announcing on their social media channels that they will be focusing on the following areas:
- Crosby
- Waterloo
- Bootle
- Litherland
- Seaforth
- Thornton
- Blundellsands
- Little Crosby
- Brighton-le-Sands
Since then, there have been claims that a waste disposal vehicle drove down one road in Netherton yesterday (Monday, June 20) and didn't empty any of the outstanding green waste bins. Sefton Council has issued an update on the situation and responded to these claims.
A Sefton Council spokesperson said in response to claims that bins were ignored as well as the Halton Council letter: “We would like to assure residents that we are making progress in clearing the backlog of green bins thanks to the huge efforts being put in by our collection teams and the extra resources we have made available.
“We know that while some areas will have now received collection of their green bin, others may still be awaiting collection. Our Sefton Waste Collection Crews have been working hard to clear the backlog this past weekend and will continue to do so.
"We would like again to thank people in Sefton who have been incredibly patient throughout these operational difficulties and ask them to continue to leave their bin out for collection. To achieve resolution to the current backlog of bin collections, overtime has been offered to staff to address the backlog.”
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