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Recycling is being collected this week and recycling centres are open as usual following a meeting last week between our provider North Somerset Environment Company (NSEC) and the GMB union.
ACAS, the UK's industrial mediation service, also attended to support the negotiation process.
The GMB agreed to suspend strike action this week to allow a ballot to take place of GMB members on a jointly-agreed revised and improved pay offer.
However, we’re still waiting for the outcome of that ballot and strikes are still planned for next week.
Recycling collections are still suspended on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 April.
Please do not put out your recycling containers on those dates.
It’s planned that black bin waste, garden waste and clinical waste collections will still continue as usual.
Our three recycling centres in Backwell, Portishead and Weston-super-Mare will also close on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 April.
If you have your recycling collected on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday then you will not be impacted.
An overtime ban has also been imposed by the GMB, up until Saturday 30 April.
This means GMB members will not be able to work extra time to help NSEC catch-up with any backlog until next month.
We’re working really hard to minimise the disruption to collections during this time.
For the latest updates, visit the North Somerset Council website and the recycling and waste social media feeds on Facebook and Twitter.
Renewals for garden waste service
Letters and emails have been sent to garden waste customers to explain how to renew subscriptions for the coming year.
Current garden waste customers will continue to get collections until Friday 17 June.
If you want to continue after this date, you’ll need to renew your subscription. This can be done from Thursday 19 May.
You’ll receive a discounted rate of £40 for each garden waste bin and, once renewed, you’ll then have collections until Friday 31 March next year.
If you can’t have a bin, the same £40 cost applies for three garden waste sacks.
Households can have a maximum of two garden waste bins or six sacks.
We’ve listened to feedback and you’ll now be able to take the service with you if you move house within North Somerset.
The cost will be subsidised if you receive council tax support and the discount will be automatically applied. Only those who receive council tax support are eligible.
If you decide not to renew, you won’t need to do anything and your collections will automatically stop after Friday 17 June.
Please keep your bin empty after this date and we’ll contact you with a collection date.
New garden waste customers
Registrations are now open for new customers to sign up to the garden waste service if you haven’t previously.
It costs £50 for each garden waste bin or for three garden waste sacks.
For more information and to sign up, visit our Garden Waste webpage.
Master composters needed to pass on skills
Are you a confident composter who could pass your skills and knowledge onto others?
We’ve launched a master composter programme, run by national charity Garden Organic, to train volunteers to become composting ambassadors.
Volunteers will play an important role in promoting the many benefits of composting through talks, events, demonstrations and other activities.
Home composting is a fantastic way of reducing your impact on the planet.
As well as creating great free fertiliser for the garden, it also reduces road miles.
If you’re interested in becoming a master composter, email Garden Organic’s project co-ordinator Kate Eastman at keastment@gardenorganic.org.uk.
Why not sign-up to attend a free session to provide an overview of home composting, including its benefits and the basics to get you started?
Two one-hour sessions will take place on Monday 16 May, at 11am and 1.30pm, at Yeo Valley Organic Garden and Tea Rooms.
If you’d like to attend, email your name, address, telephone number and preferred session to gardenwaste@n-somerset.gov.uk.
More information is available on our composting webpage.