Since Christmas, Swindon has been beset with waste collection issues with rubbish piling up in the streets all over town and the council has now explained why.

This follows the introduction of a new waste collection system in November that brought in food waste collections as well as a weighted blue bag for metal and plastics. 

With recycling and general waste piling up outside of people's houses, questions have been asked of the local authority that manages the waste collection service. 

The council has now issued a video response in light of the growing pressure. 

Swindon Advertiser: Uncollected rubbish in Park South and Highworth Uncollected rubbish in Park South and Highworth (Image: Public Submission)Chris Watts has been the cabinet member for environment and transport since May 2023 when the council administration changed from the Conservatives to Labour. 

He explained that the compartment for cardboard in the new lorries is filling up faster than the others because it isn't sufficiently big enough to deal with changing consumer habits. 

"As you can see the size of this compartment which was specced out at an earlier time, probably from figures from 2019/2020, is not big enough for what's required and what we're seeing, as far as volumes of cardboard today."

This has meant vehicles are having to return to the recycling centre to empty the cardboard section without filling up the others which is causing collections to fall behind and be delayed.

Cllr Watts explained that this was having a knock-on effect, not just on recycling but general refuse as well. 

Later in the video he stands in front of a mountain of cardboard, and says 'this is the scale of the issue'.

Swindon Advertiser: Cardboard being processed at the waste and recycling centreCardboard being processed at the waste and recycling centre (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

"I've been talking to operatives who have been here for the last 18 years and this is the most cardboard they've seen in any year. It's symptomatic of the way we shop, the way people are using online shopping that's been increasing year on year.

The cabinet member further explained that although contingency was put in place for excess cardboard 'that contingency quite obviously wasn't enough'. 

To 'get back on an even keel' the council has arranged for three new wagons to be added to the fleet, crews being retrained and three new drivers who will be helping to get through the Christmas period. 

A council spokesperson said: "We appreciate this is frustrating for the residents who are still waiting for their waste to be collected, but we estimate the service will be back to normal in the next two to three weeks.

"Please leave your waste out and we will collect it as soon as we can. Any additional paper/card recycling will be collected, even if wet."