Garden waste service to return after lockdown suspension

Garden waste collections are set to resume as local authorities begin to reverse some service cutbacks made due to the lockdown.

Collections in Wirral will return form Monday, May 19, with a reduced four-weekly service planned initially ahead of a return to fortnightly collections in mid-June if enough staff are available.

The council hopes the move will help subscribers deal with any build-ups of garden waste which may have developed during the lockdown period.

Last month, Wirral Council reported increased levels of fly-tipping.

Disgusting dumping incidents were also pictured in Liverpool.

Many on social media said the closure of tips and the reduction in waste collection services was part of the problem.

Last Monday, the region's tips reopened and gradually waste collection is returning to normal.

How will you know when your collection is due?

Subscribers will be given the date of their collection by email or letter and should check their junk folder if they do not receive the email.

Current subscribers will receive at least five collections before having to subscribe again.

This is to make up for missed collections between March 30 and the end of the current subscription period on May 31.

A fly-tipping incident pictured last month in Liverpool (Liverpool City Council)

How to subscribe for next year

The date for the new sign up period is yet to be confirmed, but will likely be sometime in mid-July ahead of the 2020/21 subscription period kicking off in August.

Current subscribers will be notified when and how they need to sign up again either by email or letter as soon as the subscription period is confirmed.

Non-subscribers will be told when they can subscribe through the council’s social media accounts and the local media.

Wirral Council advises residents to:

• Put your bin out on your scheduled collection day by 7am.
• Don’t overfill your brown bin – the lid must be closed to stop garden waste spilling out.
• Make sure your bin isn’t too heavy – it won’t be able to be emptied as the lifting equipment has a weight limit.
• Don’t squash the waste down – it could get stuck in the bin or make the bin too heavy. Both will mean that your bin isn’t emptied.
• If all your garden waste doesn’t fit in the bin, please store the excess until your next collection.
• Don’t put bags of garden waste in or next to the bin. We can’t collect bagged garden waste as it can’t be reprocessed.