NORTH Somerset Council has admitted that its new recycling drive has run into difficulties because workers had not been prepared for the sheer amount of waste being recycled.

The council has been deluged by complaints from residents after its ‘recycling revolution’ was rolled out earlier this month, with a senior official saying workers have been on a ‘steep learning curve’.

David Thomson, the council’s acting head of streets and open spaces, responded to criticism of the new system, saying: “The workload for the collection crews has been more than expected.

“There have also been some mechanical breakdowns which have also caused delays in the service.

“The workload for the collection crews has been more than expected. There have also been some mechanical breakdowns which have also caused delays in the service.”

He added that some crews had been working on Saturdays to catch up.

The second phase of the council’s recycling drive was launched in September to try and drive down the amount of waste being sent to landfill sites and increase recycling rates.

The council contract services around 94,000 properties, carrying out 37,000 collections a day using 50 crews.

A spokesman for the council said: “Since implementing a new recycle and waste collection system, we have seen early indications that recycling rates are increasing rapidly.

“This is good news - both financially and environmentally - and something which was always anticipated.”