Residents in York, North Yorkshire, have faced disruptions to their household waste and recycling collections between 16 March and 18 March 2026. The City of York Council reported that several areas were affected by a combination of staffing shortages and blocked access for collection vehicles.
On 16 March 2026, recycling collections were missed in Guildhall, Hull Road, Fishergate, Micklegate, and Fulford. The council stated that these delays were caused by staffing issues on the day. Residents in the affected streets are advised to keep their bins at the kerb while crews work to finish the collections.
Further disruptions occurred on 17 March and 18 March 2026, specifically affecting Eldon Terrace and Dale Street. These delays were caused by blocked access, which prevented collection vehicles from entering the streets. The council is asking residents to leave their waste out until it can be collected by the teams.
The council has previously highlighted challenges with staff health, noting that lifting recycling boxes caused over 2,600 days of absence in 2024 and 2025. These absences were linked to musculoskeletal injuries among workers. To help with this, the City of York Council is looking into replacing recycling boxes with wheeled bins to make the work safer and reduce service delays.
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