By Alex Seabrook, LDRS reporter
A SPATE of binmen going off sick over Christmas led to a drastic drop in rubbish collections, with the worst rate being in Redland.
The neighbourhood — which is susceptible to missed collections and dropped roads due to bins being collected at the end of the week — recorded the highest rate of missed collections per population since January last year. Over the Christmas period, hundreds of roads were dropped across the city — when binmen actively decide to skip a whole road, due to vehicle breakdowns, staff shortages, or parked cars blocking trucks. But service levels have since improved, according to one recycling boss.
An update on bin collection was given to councillors on the environment policy committee on Thursday, May 29.
Martin Fodor, Green councillor for Redland and chair of the environment policy committee, said: “The actions to improve performance are really impressive, but we know we need more. The issues for long-term improvement are really important and we’re going to have to focus on those now, to make sure the service is as reliable as it should be.”