Somerset Council is asking for patience as the county faces major disruption to its waste collections if strikes go ahead next week.

Industrial action by members of the Unite union is due to start on Wednesday 12 July, striking on Wednesday, Thursday Friday, each week for the four weeks from Wednesday 12 July to Friday 4 August.

The council and its collections contractor Suez UK will redeploy staff to try and limit the damage but expect many missed collections of recycling, refuse and garden waste will be unavoidable.

Talks continue in the ongoing pay dispute between the union and Suez and industrial action could be called off as late as the afternoon of Tuesday 11 July.

But the council is contingency planning on the basis that it goes ahead as planned.

A dedicated web page www.somerset.gov.uk/strike is the best place for the latest updates on strike action and advice on how to manage when your collections are missed.

This includes making the most of space in boxes and bags, and how to cope if having to store food waste for prolonged periods.

Collections of refuse, clinical waste, and waste from communal properties and schools will be prioritised but this is no guarantee they will take place on time.

Recycling is more likely to be missed as staff are redeployed, though we will do our best to make sure everyone gets at least one recycling collection during the strike.

Residents are asked to:

·     Put waste out on the usual day but expect missed collections.

·     Put it out before 7am, even if your collection is usually later.

·     If recycling or garden waste is missed, bring it back in until your next collection day. Don't report it.

·     If refuse or clinical is missed, leave it out and report it as missed, online if possible.

From 17 July onwards crews will accept one additional black sack of refuse at the side of the bin.

Extra recycling will also be accepted, if presented as below:

·     Plastics and cans in an open bag, like a bag for life, or a carboard box.

·     Glass needs to stay in your recycling box.

·     Cardboard folded and placed next to your recycling box, please keep to a minimum.

·     Food waste must stay in your food waste bin, but as a last resort can be double-bag and put it in your refuse bin.

There will be extra possible collection days for people whose recycling is missed in the first week of the strike:

·     If recycling is missed on Wednesday 12 July, put it out again on Monday 17 July.

·     If recycling is missed on Thursday 13 July, put it out again on Tuesday 18 July.

·     If recycling is missed on Friday 14 July and Friday 21 July put it out again on Monday 24 July.

All 16 of Somerset's recycling sites will be open as usual and can take almost all the materials collected at the kerbside, as well as refuse as a last resort. 

Mickey Green, Somerset Council's Executive Director for Climate and Place, said: "If these strikes go ahead, major disruption and inconvenience is unavoidable.

"We'll do what we can to manage it, but if the staff aren't available you simply can't get the waste off the ground.

"This could be a very difficult period and would ask for the public's patience. We are far from the only area experiencing this kind of issue, but that won't make a Somerset strike any less difficult for its residents."

The current planned action in Somerset follows unsuccessful annual pay negotiations between the Unite union and Suez UK, the council's collections contractor. An initial 5.8% increase has been rejected by the union and a recent ballot of Unite members was in favour of industrial action. A further offer of 8% from Suez has also been rejected.