Waste Services - Industrial Strike Action Updates

Please see Affected Services above for more information.

The strike will take place continuously from Wednesday 14th August until Wednesday 21st August inclusive, totalling 8 days.

Please do not present your bin/caddy for collection during the strike action period from Wednesday 14th August to Wednesday 21st August inclusive. Our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will also be closed during the entire period of continuous strike action.

• In the meantime, please try to minimise the amount of waste you produce. 
• Where possible compact the waste as much as you can.
• Please avoid contaminating any recycling bins with non-recyclable (general) waste as this may lead to further delays in those bins being collected.
• Side waste will be permitted when kerbside and communal collections recommence.

General Waste (Grey) bin

• Non-recyclable wastes e.g. polystyrene packaging can take up large amounts of space in your bin. 
• Breaking down or cutting up bulky waste into smaller pieces can free up valuable space in your bin.
• If the non-recyclable waste (grey) bin becomes full, please store your waste at home if you can.
• If you can't safely store your waste within your home, please double or triple bag this waste before placing it next to your grey non-recyclable waste bins at home or your communal bin area.

Paper & Cardboard (Blue) bin

• Please ensure you flatten and/or break-up boxes into smaller pieces to maximise bin capacity.
• If bin is full, where possible please store excess flattened cardboard at home until services resume.

Metals, Plastics & Cartons (Burgundy) bin

• Please rinse tins/cans and plastic containers/bottles then crush them to maximise bin capacity
• If bin is full, where possible please store any excess recyclable materials at home until services resume.

Food Waste 

• Please ensure food waste bins are closed and secured to prevent animal access and spillage. Any excess food waste should be disposed of in your grey general waste bins.

Garden Waste (Brown) Bin

• Extra collection dates will be provided at the end of the subscription year in December.  No refunds will be offered.

Special collections are temporarily suspended from Monday 12th August until Sunday 15th September inclusive.  Service will resume on Monday 16th September. 

Our Customer Services team or individual council officers will not be able to provide you with any further information about the industrial action, other than the information stated here. They will not be able to provide information about when household or communal refuse or recycling will be collected or take complaints about the impacts of industrial action. Please help to keep the phoneline free for those who need help with other services.

The strike action is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday 21st August. Please be assured that we have developed a detailed recovery plan so the clean-up can begin immediately following the strike.  Full service updates will be available on our website.

What will I do with my waste?

• Do not present bins or bags for collection during the strike period (Wednesday 14th - Wednesday 21st August inclusive). Please store all waste as safely as possible and ensure it is contained or bagged. Please also try to minimise the amount of waste that you produce where possible and/or compact it as much as you can (e.g., crush cans and plastics; flatten and break up boxes). Where possible, keep excess waste within your premises. If you have excess waste that can’t be stored within your premises, please ensure this is stored safely and securely, preferably double or triple bagged, and kept away from pavements and roads. 

Can I arrange additional collections following Wednesday 21st August?

• The council does not have resources to provide additional collections for customers. Additional waste accumulated during the strike period will be collected on your next scheduled collection(s) when services resume. Please regularly check this page and our social media Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), turn on notifications for the latest updates regarding the proposed strike action and resumption of services.

Can I have additional bins to store my additional waste?

• Unfortunately, the council are unable to provide additional bins during this period.

Can I take my excess waste to domestic eurobins or recycling points?

• Please do not use on-street eurobins or neighbourhood recycling points. These are for domestic use by residents only and do not have the capacity to accommodate commercial waste.

What will I do with food waste?

• Please ensure food waste bins are closed and secured to prevent animal access and spillage. Any excess food waste should be disposed of in your general waste bins.

How will I be compensated for missed collections? 

• A credit will be issued to your account for any missed collections, at the end of the strike action.

Please check this page regularly for updates. Updates will also be provided through our social media channels – links to these can be found on the council’s main webpage.  Further updates will also be pushed out via the MyBins app which can be downloaded for free.

The Local Government Ombudsman does not investigate complaints from members of the public about issues which arise as a result of industrial action. This is because these are issues which affect everyone in the council's area and they are not individual service failures caused by something that the council has done wrong or failed to do.

Similarly, we will not be recording formal stage 1 complaints about lack of refuse and recycling collections in the city due to the strike.

Please do not contact our customer services team, individual council officers or lodge a complaint through MyDundee about suspended or missed services arising from industrial strike action as these will not be responded to.

Thank you for your co-operation and understanding.