Following a long and drawn out period of pay disputes and strike action, refuse collectors went back to work today.

The 67 days of industrial walkout by GMB members in the Canterbury district has caused major upheaval to bin collection, waste disposal and recycling all summer.

But despite returning from the picket line, council bosses are warning everything will not return to normal immediately and may take up to two weeks to return to pre-strike levels.

So here’s everything you need to know:

What happens next?

All staff at Canenco – the council-owned subsidiary company which is contracted to run waste services – have returned to work from today.

Canterbury City Council is calling the next two weeks “a recovery period”.

All Canenco crews are back at work with extra vehicles and staff being mobilised to help with what is expected to be a higher volume of recycling and missed garden waste requiring collection.

The council and Canenco are aiming to complete all scheduled services each day whether that be black bins, recycling bins, garden bins or food bins.

How will I know when to put the right rubbish out?

All collections will be on the same days as before the strike.

Collection dates will be available to check on the Canterbury City Council website this week.

What should I do if I have too much waste for my bins?

While some residents have taken stuff to the tip or used their black bins for recyclables, there will no doubt be some people out there who have been unable to do this.

Canenco will be picking up extra recycling and black bag waste (on the relevant week) that is not contained within your wheelie bin during the two week recovery period.

Additional recycling should be contained within a clear bag or box, or within a cardboard box.

If it is within black sacks, it will be treated as contaminated waste and will not be taken.

This also does not apply to garden waste, which will have its own rules and regulations surrounding it.

What if my bins aren't collected?

CCC has admitted it is not quite sure how much excess recycling and garden waste Canenco crews will be greeted with.

Canenco will be doing whole street catch-ups if any areas are missed so if your bin isn’t emptied during this two-week period, you are advised to leave it out for a catch-up crew to attend.

Individual missed bins will not be able to be reported straightaway during the recovery period as a result of this.

Will my garden waste be collected?

Garden waste in green bins will be collected as normal – though if the collection is missed within the next two weeks people are asked to leave the bins out for crews.

Any garden waste left to the side of the bin will be rejected.

Will I receive a refund for my missed garden waste collections?

Canterbury City Council does not offer refunds for this service.

But the authority confirmed the previously announced arrangement for green bin collections is to be extended by one month into March 2024 for subscribers to the 2023 service to compensate for the collections they have missed during strike action. For more information about this check the council's website.

What about food waste?

Residents should no longer continue putting food waste in their general waste (black) bins.

The council has now asked people to begin putting food waste in their food caddy again to be collected on a weekly basis, as before the strikes.

What do I do with my recycling now?

Previous advice which said recycling could be placed into black bins during the strikes has been lifted.

Residents are now again being encouraged to place recycling in the corresponding red and blue bins.

What can I recycle?

CCC has an online tool which can help you refamiliarise yourself with what goes where.

People are being urged to resume putting their recycling in their red and blue bins and boxes again as things begin to get back to normal.

Red bins are for things such as pizza boxes, paperback books, card and cardboard and wrapping paper.

Blue bins are for things like drinks cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, yoghurt pots, foil and aerosols.