Mid Sussex green waste collections to resume

Mid Sussex District Council suspended the paid-for subscription service in early April to protect staffing levels for the collection of rubbish and recycling.

At the time the council said garden waste collections would be paused for 12 weeks and then the situation would be reviewed.

But today it confirmed the collections would be resuming from Monday (May 11).

On social media it said: “All customers will receive a letter or email in the coming days explaining this service update. Thank you to our customers for your patience during this difficult time. New subscriptions are not currently available.”

John Belsey, cabinet member for environment and service delivery, said: “This has been a difficult month for everyone and we are so grateful to all our garden waste customers for their patience, support and understanding during the past few weeks.

“We know that garden waste collections are important to people, especially during this lockdown period, so we have been working as hard as we can with Serco to reinstate them safely as soon as possible. I’m delighted to say that we are now able to resume our garden waste collections.

“We really appreciate the efforts you are making to hold on to your garden waste but please remain patient for a little while longer once collections are back under way and we work through the build-up.

“Our crews are not able to collect any side waste so it’s important to make sure all your garden waste is contained within the bin and that the lid is closed. If you are unable to fit all your garden waste into your green wheelie bin, please continue to store it until your next scheduled collection. This will ensure the safety and wellbeing of our collection crews and that we can continue to offer a garden waste service to everyone.”

Alongside the suspension of the collection service West Sussex County Council’s household waste recycling sites have also been closed.

Earlier this week the Government said it would be asking councils to reopen rubbish tips.

Meanwhile the Lib Dems called for West Sussex’s tips to be reopened as safely and quickly as possible as well as asking the district council to set out its plan to reinstate the garden waste service in Mid Sussex.

The district council has published a Q&A on the green waste collection resuming.

When will collections resume?

Garden waste collections will resume from (and including) Monday 11 May. As this is a fortnightly collection service some customers should expect their first collection week beginning 18 May

Will you take additional side waste?

No side waste will be taken by the crews so please ensure all garden waste is contained within your garden waste bin and the lid is closed. Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of the collection crew as well as ensuring that we can offer the service to all our subscribers.

What shall I do with my additional garden waste?

If you are unable to fit all your garden waste in your green wheelie bin please keep hold of it until your next scheduled collection. Please note garden waste should not be placed in your general rubbish bin.

Will you be providing additional collections?

No. Due to the continued increased pressure on our core recycling and rubbish collections it will not be possible to provide additional collections. As the service has only been suspended for a period of 1 month (2 collections) it should be possible for you to gradually add any additional waste into your garden waste bin for future scheduled collections, particularly if you break down larger items (such as hedge cuttings) into smaller pieces.

What happens to my subscription?

The service has been paused for 1 month since it took effect on Monday 13 April and during this time you will have missed two collections. An extension of 1 month will be added to the end of your subscription period (for example, if your subscription was due for renewal on 1 August it will now be due for renewal on 1 September).

Please do not alter your direct debit. You do not need to do anything as the month your direct debit is due will be extended automatically.

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.