Plans to clear bin backlog as catch-up collections continue

Plans to catch up on the backlog of missed bin collections have been announced by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

More snow yesterday (Wednesday 13 January) caused another delay. But thanks to the crews planning to work on Saturday and Sunday this week, the council is planning that by the end of the weekend all areas will have had at least one refuse and recycling collection since Christmas, despite the extreme weather conditions.

And, to help get things back to normal, the plan is that next week - from Monday 18 January - all households in the borough will have both refuse and recycling collections on their normal collection day. Residents usually have a refuse collection once a week and a recycling collection once a fortnight, with households either on a ‘green’ or ‘purple’ recycling week. But the normal collection days had to be changed as crews struggled against the weather conditions to try to get round the borough.

So the message to all residents is from Monday to put both your grey and green bins out on your normal collection day, regardless of whether it would normally be your recycling collection week. This should mean, weather permitting, that the council is back to the normal ‘green’ week recycling schedule by the week beginning Monday 25 January.

Crews were out again today in the borough and are reporting that, with snow beginning to thaw, they have been able to complete more collections than on Monday and Tuesday. However melting snow and ice on some side roads still means that they are not able to empty the normal number of bins in a day.

Most of the refuse and recycling collections were completed as planned today (Thursday 14 January). Recycling collections tomorrow will continue in Tadley and will start in Chineham, Rooksdown, South View and parts of Oakridge, Sherfield Park, Winklebury and Popley.

Refuse collections are planned for tomorrow in parts of Tadley, Lychpit, Oakridge and parts of Winklebury, Chineham, Oakridge, Old Basing, Popley and Sherfield Park.

Corporate Director Karen Brimacombe said: “We know that it has been very frustrating for residents, with the long period of snow and ice disrupting bin collections just as we were trying to return to normal after the Christmas and New Year breaks.

“The crews have been working extremely hard this week, despite the difficult conditions to get as many collections completed as they can. We’ve made special arrangements for them to work on Saturday and Sunday. This should mean that, weather permitting, we should have caught up collections by the end of the weekend. By doing both refuse and recycling bin collections for all residents next week, we will be able to get back onto the normal recycling collection schedule for the week beginning Monday 25 January.”