Bin-bag blues as strike action looms

Worthing Council said this week that it was not yet known exactly how the unions' action would affect its services.

Household collections of refuse, recyclable materials, green waste and clinical waste may not take place in some streets.

Clinical waste collections affected will be suspended for that week and take place on Wednesday, March 30.

Other collections affected will be suspended for that week and will be put back to the next scheduled collection day, which is Friday, April 1, following the Easter roll-over.

Residents can, if they wish, take their rubbish to the local civic amenity sites at Dominion Way, East Worthing, and Halewick Lane, Sompting.

Where possible, said the council, it would be helpful if people could help elderly or disabled neighbours in the same way.

Trade waste collections, street cleansing and litterbin emptying may also be affected.

Residents in Findon, Ferring, Clapham and Patching will not be affected by the strike.

A spokesman for Verdant, the company which operates Arun Council's refuse collection services, told the Herald yesterday that its refuse collection staff had different pension arrangements to those who are in the national Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

The strike follows a national ballot over changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme, which include raising the retirement age from 60 to 65 for all staff and raising employee contributions to the scheme.