Elected Member Briefing Note 2022, Issue 24
About this briefing note
Report by: Mark Butterworth, Head of Environmental and Consumer Services
Date: 17 August 2022
Subject: Impact of industrial action on refuse collection service
Responsible Officer: Sheila Best, Waste Services Manager and Nigel Taylor, Service Manager Operations
Publication
This Briefing Note has been published on the Council's website following circulation to Councillors. Its contents may be disclosed or shared outwith the Council.
Details
Purpose
The purpose of this briefing is to advise elected members of the potential impact of the proposed industrial action on the Council's Refuse collection service, which will commence at the end of next week (Friday 26 August).
Briefing information
Perth & Kinross Council has been advised by GMB trade union that they have called on their members in waste and recycling services, to take part in industrial action for a period commencing on Friday 26 August at 00.00 and continuing each day until Monday 29 August at 23.59 and commencing Wednesday 7 September at 00.00 and continuing each day until Saturday 10 September at 23.59, in connection with the national pay offer.
This action will impact on the Council's ability to undertake refuse collections to households and businesses across Perth and Kinross who are due to receive collections on those days. However, the full extent of the impact will not be clear until the actual days of the industrial action, as it will not be confirmed until then how many employees will attend work on those days. Nevertheless, a detailed communications plan is being developed and information will be sent out to members of the public in the next day or two.
It is also possible that the Council's recycling centres will be affected, although again the exact impact will not be known until the industrial action commences.
The Council has contingency plans in place for these situations, which aim to minimise the disruption to Council services. However, this is targeted action by GMB and will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the Council's ability to undertake collections in the affected areas, on the affected days.
The intention is to aim to provide collection services on the affected days, and therefore to request all residents to present their bins as normal. If a bin is not collected then the advice will be to leave the bin out for 48 hours and we will endeavour to collect it. However, if the bin is not collected within 48 hours, residents should return the bin to their property and re-present it on the next scheduled date.
Residual Waste (green bin)
In relation to residual waste collections, residents will be advised that we will endeavour to collect reasonable excess side waste on the next collection or, alternatively, that excess waste can be taken to Recycling Centres. Residents will be directed to the Council Service Disruption web page to advise on Recycling Centre opening times for their area.
Recycling Collections
Dry Mixed Recycling (blue bin) and Mixed Food & Garden (brown bin) - For recycling collections, we will advise residents that until recycling collections resume that they should maximise the capacity of their recycling bins by filling them with the correct materials, except for food waste.
We will advise residents to take any additional recycling materials to the recycling centres and points, where possible, and that we will endeavour to collect reasonable excess recycling on the next collection.
If garden and food waste has not been collected within 48 hours, we will advise that the food waste should be placed in the residual waste bin until collections resume.
Commercial customers will be individually contacted with information relevant to their services.
We will review the communications response after the first phase and agree further communications for those residents and customers affected by the second phase in September. This includes residents whose collections fall on a Friday and Saturday in both phases.
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