Blacktown bins overflow with garbage as waste workers strike

Bins in one local council area are overflowing post-Christmas as garbage workers continue industrial action.

Post-Christmas garbage is spilling onto the streets in one western Sydney local government area as council waste workers continue strike action.

Suburbs in the Blacktown City Council area have been affected by the ongoing industrial action, with their overflowing bins left uncollected on Boxing Day amid ongoing negotiations between the council and Transport Workers Union (TWU).

Industrial action means rubbish bins across western Sydney are going uncollected. Picture: Nine News

Blacktown Council said 24 suburbs within its jurisdiction were affected by the delays to regular bin collection services, with other suburbs expected to be affected in the near future due to the backlog.

“By (Wednesday) I imagine it’s going to be pretty terrible,” resident Steve Rankilor told Nine News on Tuesday.

“It’s pretty messy up here, all the bins are very full,” resident Raj Shama said.

“You know you’re getting all the flies and the bad smell, they haven’t come to pick it up.”

Blacktown City Council is telling residents to leave their bins kerbside until they’re eventually collected. Picture: Nine News

Another resident, Ray Lavosh, told Nine that he and his neighbours hadn’t had their bins collected in eight days.

“You can’t open the balcony or windows, everything, all the flies coming in,” he said.

Blacktown Council has urged residents to leave their bins kerbside until they’re collected.

The TWU has been contacted for comment.

The garbage pick-up delays echo similar problems in the Sydney City Council area last Christmas when services were put under strain by a fresh outbreak of Covid-19.

Suburbs affected include:

• Acacia Gardens
• Blacktown
• Dharruk
• Eastern Creek
• Emerton
• Hebersham
• Kings Park
• Lethbridge Park
• Marayong
• Minchinbury
• Mount Druitt
• Nirimba Fields
• Plumpton
• Quakers Hill
• Riverstone
• Rooty Hill
• Ropes Crossing
• Schofields
• Shanes Park
• Tallawong
• The Ponds
• Tregear
• Whalan
• Willmot