The York Council has run into further problems today with household waste, recycling and green bin emptying. There were issues on both sides of the City
Latest waste service update -Tuesday 26 May
We were unable to collect household waste from some areas in Dunnington due to capacity issues.
This household waste will be collected on Wednesday 27 May. Please present your containers for collection by 7.00am.
We have been unable to collect recycling waste from a number of properties due to service levels.
Our crews are still out collecting and a further update regarding recycling collections for 26 May will be issued tomorrow.
We were unable to collect garden waste from a number of properties in the following areas due to capacity issues:
Chapelfields
Foxwood
Tang Hall
We’ll attempt to collect missed garden waste by Wednesday 27 May, but may not be able to revisit until later in the week. Please leave greens bin out and we’ll get to you as soon as we can.
We have been able to recollect all outstanding garden waste from Monday 25 May.
Previous waste service updates – Monday 25 May
All scheduled household waste collections have been made.
We were unable to collect recycling waste from a number of properties in Fulford as a result of restrictions on operations due to coronavirus.
We’ll attempt to collect this recycling on Tuesday 26 May. Please present your containers for collection by 7.00am.
We’ve been unable to collect garden waste from a number of properties in the following areas due to capacity issues:
Badger Hill
Heslington
We will attempt to collect missed garden waste on Tuesday 26 May, but may not be able to revisit until later in the week. Please leave greens bin out and we’ll get to you as soon as we can.
It isn’t just the Lowfields building site which is causing concerns for local residents. People living near a site on Windmill Lane – ironically also being built on playing fields – have also raised concerns about work going on during unauthorised hours.
All planning permissions list the permitted hours of work and these usually exclude Sundays while weekday working may be limited to 8:00am – 6:00pm.
Windmill Lane residents say that workers were on site from 7:30am on Sunday. There are also issues with heavy plant trying to access the site via unauthorised routes and well as concerns about wildlife conservation.
The problems will sound familiar to residents in the Lowfields area where more details of the Tudor Road closure- effective from 13th June – have been published.
“Normal working hours will be Monday to Saturday 8am to 5pm. It would only be in exceptional circumstances or in case of emergencies that we would work any later or on Sunday’s. It is highly unlikely that there would be any overnight work.”
“For the first 2 weeks the road will be closed entirely in both directions but pedestrian access will be maintained. Vehicular access will be available for residents and deliveries in Tudor Road up to the point of where our works will be.”
“Access to the garages between 77 and 87 Tudor Road will not be obstructed as they are not directly in our working area. Any customers who will be impacted have been contacted by Barhale and will be consulted whilst the scheme is taking place to tray and minimise disruption.”
“Access will still be available to the homes near Gale lane from the Gale Lane side of Tudor Road. The works will only be in the vicinity of 59 to 69 Tudor Road.”
“Equipment that will be used will include a 20 tonne excavator, 9 tonne dumper, hydraulic breaker, compaction and cutting equipment.”
“The compound will have a generator on site and will usually be off overnight. However, if there is wet and inclement weather it may be required to dry the teams clothing.”
Local Councillors say they’re pressing for improvements for pedestrians and cyclists in the area.
Local residents in Dijon Avenue are, however, already seeing large vehicles using the street even though the authorised access for Tudor Road is still currently open.
It is the time of year when drainage ditches and becks can become overgrown. When water volumes are generally low, it is important that the opportunity is taken to clear vegetation and debris from the channels.
That is particularly challenging at present because of coronavirus restrictions.
We were pleased to see that local Councillor Andrew Waller is pressing the Marston Moor IDB to ensure that maintenance work continues.
Failure to do so could lead to flooding when wet weather returns.
We hoped that we had seen the last of the damaging weed growth that threatened to wreck footpath and forecourt surfaces last summer.
The Council’s weed control programme failed last year but there are hopes that things will be better this year.
We were advised that a first application of weed killer to paths and gutters took place in April.
Recent damp but warm weather has encouraged plant growth and the inevitable appearance of weeds. There seems to be little evidence in some streets and back lanes of “die back” from the application.
However weed control operatives have been seen in various parts of the City so it may be too early to draw conclusions.
One worrying trend has been the reappearance of tough weeds like “Horses/Mares Tail”. There have been sightings of this pervasive and destructive weed in several locations including Windsor Garth, Green Lane, Kir Crescent and Marston Avenue. In each case damage is being caused to footpath or road surfaces. This is likely to be expensive to repair.
There is a proprietary “diamond” weed killer which eliminates weeds like this as well as nettles and thistles. It is not clear whether the Council has specified the use of this product in problem areas.
If it hasn’t then it needs to get a move on with applying the chemical quickly to avoid further damage and expense.
The Council has tweeted today asking people to ensure that any boundary hedges are trimmed back from public roads and paths. They say this will help with “social distancing”.
The Council is right to do so.
Many people will have time to undertake the chore during the bank holiday weekend.
The Council also rightly asks hedge owners to be careful not to disturb any birds which may be nesting in the hedge.
Hedges overgrowing back lanes are a particular issue in some areas
Meanwhile there has been rapid grass growth this week with several verges and amenity areas becoming overgrown. We have reported several.
We were unable to collect household waste from the following areas due to access issues:
Dale Street
Moss Street
We were unable to collect household waste from the following areas due to capcity issues:
Ashley Park Road
Cedar Grove
The Glade
Hazel Garth
High Oaks
This household waste will be collected on Thursday 21 May. Please present your containers for collection by 7.00am.
We were able to recollect all outstanding household waste from Tuesday 19 May.
Recycling
We were unable to collect recycling from a number of areas due to capacity issues.
Missed recycling collections will be collected as soon as possible. Please present your containers for collection by 7.00am.
Garden waste
We were unable to collect garden waste from a number of streets in the following wards due to capcity issues:
Heworth
Heworth Without
Holgate
Huntington and New Earswick
Westfield
We will attempt to collect missed garden waste on Thursday 21 May, but may not be able to revisit until later in the week. Please leave greens bin out and we’ll get to you as soon as we can”
EARLIER: For the first time in several months the York Council failed to update its refuse collection report page yesterday. This prompted speculation that there were too many roads missed to be able to list them all.
The failure to list those streets where bins hadn’t been emptied also prompted questions about whether the promised “next day” emptying will actually take place.
There is a danger of a bow wave of failures extending into next week. Residents who have been storing green waste in gardens, pending the resumption of the emptying service, may already have refilled their bins.
For a Council which has been quick to issue “sound bite” media releases even when it had little of interest to report, this communications failure – on a key public service which everyone uses – is disappointing.
As well as the backlog in green bin emptying (put down to heavy bins) social distancing measures are blamed for a growing backlog in collecting recycling.
Recycling in over 10 streets in the Westfield/Foxwood area alone was not collected yesterday
Previously the Council had blamed vehicle failures and capacity issues for problems with the waste collection reliabily.
There have been calls for a change in top management at the Council or even for the service to be outsourced (AMEY provide the service in the Selby area)
Ironically, at the peak of the corona virus scare, household waste and recycling collection systems worked well.