| Ongoing disruption to your waste and recycling collections We’re sorry for the ongoing disruption to your waste and recycling collections. This is being caused by a combination of factors affecting our contractor, Veolia. We know how important these collections are to you and are working urgently with Veolia to address the problems and to get the service back to normal as soon as possible. Garden waste collections suspended We’ve unfortunately suspended the garden waste service at the request of our contractor Veolia in order to allow them to prioritise household waste and recycling collections. << Please do not put your garden waste out for collection >> We know this is disappointing with many people working in the garden at this time of year. We are of course working with Veolia with the aim of reinstating garden waste collections as soon as possible. We appreciate that this is a service which you pay for additionally and will be looking at options such as extending subscriptions or offering a discount off next years’ subscription to take account of this. If you need to urgently dispose of garden waste you can book a slot at the KCC recycling centres which are open. Frequently asked questions about your collections What should I do with my waste and recycling? Please put your waste and recycling bins out as usual by 7am on your set collection day. Please do not put garden waste out for collection whilst the service is currently suspended. Should I leave the bins out if they are not collected on the set day? Yes. Please leave your bins out and we will collect as soon as possible as some services are running late. Do I need to tell the Council if my collection is missed? No. We’re kindly requesting that you do not contact the Council at this time. Veolia update us about any missed collections at the end of each day. These will be followed up as soon as possible, so please just leave your bins out. Can I put my green waste out for collection? No. We’re sorry that the green waste service is currently suspended to allow Veolia to prioritise household waste and recycling. Will I get a refund on my green waste subscription? We’re looking to extend subscriptions or offering a discount off next years’ subscription to take account of the disruption. Can I dispose of my waste elsewhere? You can take household waste and recycling, and garden waste to the tips operated by Kent County Council. Frequently asked questions about the disruption to waste services Why has the waste service deteriorated? Our contactor, Veolia, is facing a number of challenges, including a national HGV driver shortage, and the need for staff to self-isolate after being ‘pinged’. This is creating major staffing issues. Why did you change the contract earlier in the year? Veolia held the previous contract which expired in January of this year. A number of changes to routes and collection days were introduced by Veolia under the new contract with the aim of making collections more efficient. Are these changes part of the current problem? There were some teething problems with the new routes and collection days, but these are now largely resolved. When can we expect the service to return to normal? We’re working urgently with Veolia and have prioritised household waste and recycling collections. What is Veolia doing to boost recruitment? The HGV driver shortage is a national issue and there is no ‘quick fix’. Veolia are offering a range of incentives to attract and retain staff. How can I speak to the Council about my collection? Given the volume of enquiries, we’re kindly asking residents not to contact the council about their collections. We are aware of areas where collections have been missed, and these will be collected as soon as possible. Please see our website for the latest service information. |