Garden waste collection closure dates announced

Dates have been announced for a three-month winter shutdown of garden waste collections.

Cheshire East will not collect bins used to dispose of garden waste including leaves, grass, bark and flowers for three months, from Monday, December 8 to Friday, February 13.

The dates have been picked after the council held a public consultation earlier this year.

Residents were given a say on the matter this time round after the authority stopped collections for four months last winter without consultation. Residents contacted the Express and complained to the council to say their bins were full and demanding the service was reinstated. The council argued that demand drops in winter and the stoppage saves money.

The Ombudsman responsible for overseeing councils investigated and ruled that Cheshire East should have consulted with residents before bringing in the cuts. The authority made a public apology over the blunder.

A six-week consultation this summer asked residents when and for how long the collections should stop. A total of 2,527 responses were returned.

The council said most people opted for a 12 week shutdown – a month less than last year.

Coun David Topping, Cheshire East Council Cabinet member for service commissioning, said: “Suspending the garden waste service over the winter makes complete sense as demand at this time of year is very low and the Council can make much more efficient use of its resources.

“The Council has listened carefully to people’s views when finalising the details of this year’s winter suspension.”

Garden waste is usually collected every two weeks and taken to farms to compost and spread onto the farmland.. The bins are green or brown in colour.

No garden waste will be collected from Monday, December 8 to Friday, February 13. Residents are urged to check the Council’s website for the date of their last collection in 2014 and first of 2015.

Blue stickers are being attached to bins to make the public aware of the shutdown.

Residents can dispose of green waste at household recycling centres around the borough including Macclesfield, Bollington and Poynton.