Refuse worker sickness levels skyrocket after botched recycling rollout

SICKNESS levels among Denbighshire's refuse and recycling workers have skyrocketed since the rollout of a controversial new recycling system in the county.

- By RICHARD EVANS Local Democracy Reporter [e-mail]

The new Trolibocs system was rolled out in June 2024, and figures show a sharp increase in sickness absence and stress since then.

According to figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service through a Freedom of Information request, the council's refuse and recycling department has been badly affected by an increase in sickness levels.

Between June 2023 and May 2024, the council employed an average of 98 refuse and recycling staff, who collectively took 1,540 days off sick - around 16 days per staff member. In the following year, June 2024 to May 2025, staffing increased to an average of 116, but sick days nearly doubled to 2,870 - roughly 25 days per staff member.

The trend has continued into 2025. From June to July, the service aver aged 128 staff, with 503 days lost to sickness in just two months.

Denbighshire Council said it did not have figures recording the cost of these sick days.

The council were advertising for 15 recycling and refuse collector jobs at the time the FOI was submitted.