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Garden Waste collections are set to resume across South Tyneside from next Tuesday (12 May).

The collections of green waste were suspended in March to enable the Council to refocus its resources to the coronavirus response, support vulnerable residents and to maintain critical frontline services, including household waste and recycling collections.

Having reviewed the operations around staffing levels and government guidance, the Council will now restart its fortnightly collections from Tuesday 12 May.

The service is also being extended until 4 December, which gives households an extra collection this season, and a discounted subscription will be offered in 2021.

Councillor Joan Atkinson, Lead Member for Area Management and Community Safety, said: "We know the Garden Waste Service is important to people, especially at this time when residents are spending more of their time at home and in their gardens.

"It was necessary to suspend collections due to the increased pressure on the Council's resources and the need to prioritise services as it continued to deal with the impact of Covid-19 across our communities.

"We want to reassure people that we have been working really hard behind the scenes to get the service reinstated as soon as we were able to and want to thank all of our residents for their patience and co-operation in these very challenging times. We would ask that they continue to support us by placing the correct materials in their grey household waste, blue recycling and green waste bins.

"We would also like to take the opportunity to praise our Waste Services staff who have been incredible during this difficult period, continuing to work on the frontline providing essential services for residents across the Borough."

Those subscribed to the Garden Waste Collection service are advised to check their calendars for the next collection starting from Tuesday 12 May and to ensure their 2020 season stickers are placed on their bins.

Residents are also encouraged to check the contents of their green bin to make sure there are no contaminants. As the service recovers, the Garden Waste teams will not have the capacity to manage excess garden waste. Therefore, residents are encouraged not to leave any side waste or additional bags.

Anyone who would like to subscribe to the service can still do so for a charge of £32 for the season.

The Borough's household waste and recycling collections continue to run as normal. The Council also continues to operate a Bulky Waste Collection service for larger household items and the Garden Clearance Scheme remains available to residents for the removal of items including DIY dismantled sheds and garden furniture.

For further information about the Garden Waste Service, to sign up for the service or check bin collection dates, visit www.southtyneside.gov.uk/gardenwaste or call the Council's Customer Contact Centre on (0191) 427 7000.