Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Backlog warnings as bin crews get back to work after strike

The streets of Aberdeen were left strewn with litter as a result of the strike.
The streets of Aberdeen were left strewn with litter as a result of the strike.

Bin collectors are returning to the streets of the Highlands, Aberdeen and Orkney today as the first wave of strikes end.

A mass clean-up operation is under way across the country following the week-long spell of industrial action by council workers.

The disruption, which began on August 24, sparked concerns across the country as communities faced an eyesore situation.

Bins are overflowing at the Castlegate in Aberdeen.

Scotland’s streets were left strewn with litter as bins reached their capacity.

The escalating situation also prompted a response from firefighters following a series of bin fires.

Households have now been prompted by local authorities to put their bins out as they work to tackle the backlog.

Aberdeen bin workers hit the streets

Aberdeen City Council officials confirmed operations are returning to normal as waste collections recommence.

However, they warned of potential disruption as they work to return to normal service.

In a statement, published on their social media page, they wrote: “Waste and recycling collections are running today. Please put your bins out by 7am if this is your scheduled collection day.

Aberdeen City Council have warned households and businesses of further disruption in the coming days as they work to tackle the backlog and clear away street waste in the city, including on Rosemount.

“As this follows an extended period of national strike action, there is a large backlog of work and there may still be disruption to normal services.

“We thank residents for their patience ask that residents and businesses bear with us while we endeavour to catch up.”

A spokesman from Aberdeenshire Council urged people to visit their local recycling centres if they couldn’t wait for their next scheduled bin collection.

He said: “For household and trade waste, Aberdeenshire Council will be collecting excess that has resulted from strike action on the next scheduled collection day for that same waste material.

“For households able to do so, any available slots at Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) can be booked up to 7 days in advance to help reduce any excess household waste. Visits to HRCs can also be made within 15 minutes of making a booking.”

He added that litter picking and street sweeping will continue across the region.

More bin strikes on the way

The return to routine operations is to be short lived as further industrial action is planned in the Highlands, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire from September 6 to 14.

Orkney bin workers are also scheduled to strike from September 7 until 10.

The strikes have been prompted by a dispute over pay.

Today, Highland Council is reporting no disruption to services as collectors work to clear the streets.

With further strikes in the coming days, residents and business owners are being encouraged to follow the advice on their website, which includes continuing to put their bins out before 7am on their usual collection day.

Bin strike calender graphic
The first wave of bin strikes is over… but the next one is just around the corner.

In a statement, Highland Council wrote: “We are aware of the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding during this period.”

Orkney Islands Council confirmed additional trade pick-ups are being made to help cope with the backlog.

A spokeswoman said: “Orkney Islands Council is rescheduling domestic waste collections due to the strike action. Waste teams will also be carrying out additional trade waste pick-ups.

“There will be a knock on impact on recycling collections as a result of the domestic runs – but it was felt more important at this time to deal with the backlog of waste.”

Conversation