Some waste collections in Tonbridge and Malling are subject to suspension and delay due to a national shortage of truck drivers.
UK haulage organisations have attributed the shortage to a combination of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.
It's affecting a number of councils in Kent and across the country as well as national supermarkets and delivery firms.
On some days, up to one-in-three of our waste lorries don't have a driver available.
What we are doing
The government has announced a package of measures to help improve the supply of drivers. We are also working with our contractor to get our waste services back on track.
The steps our contractor is taking include:
- prioritising core services, notably refuse (black bin) and weekly food waste collections
- launching a recruitment drive and raising hourly pay rates
- training new drivers (which takes 8-10 weeks)
- sourcing drivers from neighbouring depots and specialist agencies
- asking staff to defer holidays and to work weekends to help with the catch up
- extending garden waste renewal dates to take account of suspended services
- providing regular public updates on revised dates for delayed collections
Despite these measures, the driver shortage continues. Waste collection is a tough job and our contractor is struggling to retain drivers in an increasingly competitive market. While there’s no quick fix for this nationwide problem, we will continue to do all we can to get the resources needed to provide the service people expect.