All garden waste collections for South Hams Council have been suspended by their contractor from Monday.

FCC Environment, the waste contractor for South Hams District Council, says it is hit by a “shortage of resources.”

The council has reluctantly agreed to this to allow FCC Environment to focus on general waste and recycling.

According to SHDC: “Many other councils around the country are in a similar position” and “have had to do the same in recent weeks as the national shortage of LGV and HGV drivers continues.”

Although they would like to be able to collect all waste, including garden waste, FCC Environment know that they must focus all of their resources on the statutory waste and recycling collections. This includes food waste, which can become very unpleasant if not collected in warmer weather.

Cllr Keith Baldry, South Hams Executive Member for the Environment said: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but the impact of the national shortage of drivers has meant that FCC Environment has no choice now but to move their resources to ensure they are focused on the vital collections.

FCC Environment says it is closely monitoring the situation in the South Hams and working in tandem with the council to minimise disruption. It apologised to residents for the inconvenience.

Suspending garden waste collections is allowing FCC Environment to redeploy staff to support vital rubbish and recycling services.

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