THOUSANDS of concerned residents have signed a petition demanding the council keep weekly bin collections post-Covid-19.
An online petition has been set up on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) Council’s website – which has accumulated more than 2,700 signatures – by Ed Wilson, asking for the temporary fortnightly bin collections not to become permanent.
On April 6, RBWM announced waste and recycling pick-ups will be collected on alternate weeks due to staff shortages at Serco – the company that provides waste and recycling services across the borough – because of ill health or needing to self-isolate during the public health crisis.
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Ed Wilson writes: “Residents have understood the need for these changes and worked with the temporary arrangements which involve the collection of recycling on one week and the collection of general waste on the following week.
“We do not want to see these arrangements being introduced on a permanent basis post the COVID crisis.
“Please invest in our waste collection services, please look after the people who deliver these services and please keep our weekly bin collections.”
Councillor Donna Stimson (Conservative: St Mary’s), lead member for environmental services, said the alternate weekly collections will be reviewed shortly – but no decision has been made yet.
She said: “We have no idea of the impact track and trace will have on staffing levels.
“We will continue with our current service for the three months, and let you, our residents, know as soon as we are ready to alter the current situation.”
The council has come under fire in recent weeks from angry residents over missed waste and recycling collections since the introduction of the fortnightly collections.
A spokesman for RBWM, said: “We are aware of the petition regarding bin collections and will await formal submission of the petition.
“We are also aware that there have been some missed collections since we introduced the temporary measures. They were introduced to ensure we had sufficient resources to maintain a reduced waste collection service during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are working with Serco to reduce them. However, the majority of collections have been carried out on time, with only a small percentage of collections missed.”
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