Coventry to close waste drop-off sites

Coventry’s waste drop-off sites are to close from next week.

The eight sites were set up during strike action by bin lorry drivers in order for residents to dispose of their household waste.

Coventry bin lorry drivers have been on an all-out strike since 31 January in a long-running dispute with the council over what they say is unfair pay.

At the time, Andrew Walster, the Director for Street Services for Coventry City Council, said: “We will do everything we can to make sure people can get rid of their waste in the city.”

After the resumption of garden waste collections in April, all three types of bins are now being collected by private contractor Tom White Waste, and so the city council has decided to close the drop-off sites.

All drop-off sites will close on Monday 16 May at 16:30, except the Wyken Slough drop site, off Aldermans Green Road, which will close on Sunday 15 May at 16:30.

The move was announced last month in a statement from the council, discussing the permanent closure of the bin drop-off site at the War Memorial Park.

It read: “From Monday 18 April, the War Memorial Park drop site will close permanently. This will allow the park to prepare for the summer events ahead, including BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in May and Godiva Festival in September.

“It will also free up parking space as the weather improves and more people want to enjoy the park. The changes will mean that there are more vehicles available to re-introduce brown-lidded garden waste collections… garden waste collections will start again in the city on Tuesday 19 April.

“Garden waste collections will run alongside blue-lidded recycling collections. It is expected that all drop sites will close permanently on 16 May, after all three collections have settled back onto a routine.”

The Environment Agency had issued permission for the sites to operate temporarily in order to minimise the impact of the strike. The permission will also end on 16 May, in line with the closures.

“I’d also like to thank the teams that have worked at the sites through some of the coldest weather and always with a positive and helpful approach”

–Councillor Patricia Hetherton

Councillor Patricia Hetherton, cabinet member for city services, said: “I’d like to thank everyone that has made use of the drop sites to get rid of their rubbish and recycling. They served us well – but the Environment Agency permission is set to end so they must now close.

“I’d also like to thank the teams that have worked at the sites through some of the coldest weather and always with a positive and helpful approach.”