GARDEN WASTE SERVICE TO BE TRIMMED - BUT THERE WILL BE NO REFUND FOR HOUSEHOLDERS

Cllr Swinburn - need to prioritise

THERE will be just one more household collection of brown-bin garden waste - instead of the scheduled two - before the winter break.

According to North East Lincolnshire Council, the cutback is a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic.

Says a spokesperson for the authority: "Reducing garden waste collections means more staff are available for household waste and recycling rounds or to keep our waste tips open from 8am to 6pm.

NELC cabinet member Cllr Stewart Swinburn comments: “With rapid increases in local cases, we need to prioritise the areas under most pressure, which at this time is domestic waste and recycling collections.

“Garden waste is a paid for service and I apologise to customers who are affected by the change.

“Like most organisations, we must adapt at short notice to keep services running during this uncertain time."

There will be no refund, but subscribers may leave an extra bin bag of garden waste with their brown bin on their next collection.

The Grimsby News says: Householders will be unimpressed with the casual take-it-or-leave-it way this announcement has been made. NELC has not adequately explained why the pressures are greater now than at the time of the first lockdown which was far more draconian. What is worse, it has breached its agreement with the public by failing to provide the service it promised. The sum of money may be too trivial to justify a refund, but it is the principle that counts. No one likes being short-changed. If, next spring, there is a reduced take-up of the garden waste collection service, the authority will have only itself to blame.