RECYCLING collections in Allerdale have resumed after being suspended for two months.

Allerdale council took the decision to suspend collection of plastic, cans and glass as well as garden waste from July 8 for up to two months.

This was to allow the authority’s struggling contractor FCC Environment to prioritise household waste collection, after they missed thousands of bin collections.

It followed the implementation of a new contract on April 1, which promised to deliver savings.

Following discussions with FCC Environment, an interim arrangement has been agreed, allowing all waste collection services to be resumed on Monday.

Independent council leader Marion Fitzgerald said she was pleased to see this happening.

She said: “I’m really pleased to say that the waste collection crews have been able to fully complete all the bin rounds as scheduled so far this week – including for recycling and garden waste which resumed this week.

“This is the first time this has happened since the changes were introduced on April 1 2019, and shows that the work we’ve done with FCC Environment recently, and the measures we’ve put in place, are working.”

Some residents, however, complained their garden waste had not been taken away by binmen.

A tag has been placed on a number of wheelie bins, advising residents they were too heavy to be taken away.

But a spokesman for Allerdale council said this has been the policy for some time, “certainly before the changes” to the contract were introduced.

He said: “Whilst it is unusual for a bin not to be emptied due to its weight a bin can be too heavy. This usually happens when the bin has been used for the incorrect type of waste, for example soil and rubble. If your bin is too heavy the crew will log it and leave a bin tag explaining. If this happens you will need to remove some of the waste and wait until your next collection cycle.”