Missed bin collections by Cheshire East Council rises by more than 5,000

The number of missed bin collections by Cheshire East Council has risen by almost 50%, according to latest figures obtained by Nantwich News.

The number of complaints about missed collections logged in 2018-19 reached a staggering 16,346 cases, figures show.

This was a rise from 11,116 cases recorded in 2017-18.

And this year 2019-20, the number of complaints could be on a par with the previous 12 months, with almost 11,000 cases already logged by December 10.

The figures were obtained as the authority wrestles with a “new” bin collection system which was brought in last month.

And in January, the council plans to introduce food waste “caddies” for households to use, which will see food waste being deposited with green garden waste.

Cheshire East Council said the missed collections should be seen in context of 50,000 bin collections it makes every day.

But they declined to reveal the reasons for missed collections as “it is not possible to use a computerised search to identify this information” and would take too long to find it manually.

We have approached CEC for a comment on why the number of missed collections has risen.

In November, the authority offered its thanks to residents as the new bin collection system suffered teething problems.

Ralph Kemp, Cheshire East Council’s head of environmental services, said last month: “The recent bin collection service alterations are our biggest change in a ten year period and has involved changing routes, staff rotas and resident collection days.

“These changes have been necessary to achieve long term efficiencies and to prepare for the new food waste recycling service that is being introduced in January.

“I’d like to thank residents for their patience during these changes.”

Meanwhile, Cheshire East residents are reminded about changes to bin collections over Christmas and the New Year period.

There will be no garden waste collections between December 23 and January 3.

They say a small shut down is required to enable the service to focus on silver and black bin collections when there is more waste and recycling than usual due to the Christmas and New Year period.

There will be changes for any resident who has a collection that would fall on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

These are:

● Wednesday 25 December (Christmas Day)
Silver bins (recycling) due to be emptied on this day will be emptied on Monday 23 December.
Black bins (household waste) due to be emptied on this day will be emptied on Tuesday 24 December;

● Thursday 26 December (Boxing Day)
Silver bins (recycling) due to be emptied on this day will be emptied on Friday 27 December.
Black bins (household waste) due to be emptied on this day will be emptied on Monday 30 December; and

● Wednesday 1 January (New Years Day)
Silver bins (recycling) due to be emptied on this day will be emptied on Tuesday 31 December.
Black bins (household waste) due to be emptied on this day will be emptied on Thursday 2 January.

This information is also online at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/bins

During the shutdown residents can take garden waste to any of the Cheshire East household waste recycling centres.

Household waste recycling centres are located in Alsager, Bollington, Congleton, Crewe, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Middlewich or Poynton.

These are open every day except Christmas Day.