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The ACT government is warning of delays to Canberrans' rubbish collection in the wake of a dispute over garbage trucks. Household rubbish collection resumed in Gungahlin and across Canberra's inner north on Monday, after truck drivers refused to complete pick ups on Friday amid fears their overloaded vehicles were unroadworthy. The ACT government said residents across the city should leave their waste and recycling bins out and they would be collected within 24 hours of their usual sheduled time. Alternatively, they could take excess rubbish and recycling to drop-off centres in Tuggeranong, Gungahlin, or Phillip. Collections were expected to return to normal by October 15. Collections of general rubbish and recycling in Gungahlin, Franklin, Harrison, Throsby, Lyneham, Acton, Civic, Turner, O'Connor, Dickson, Downer and Watson did not go ahead on Friday, affecting thousands of properties. It came after drivers from the ACT government's waste collection contractor Suez refused to complete the shift because of concerns their vehicles were hundreds of kilograms overweight, in breach of national safety standards. Transport Workers Union ACT-branch secretary Klaus Pinkas said testing showed some trucks were carrying more than 6700 kilograms during shifts, about 700 kilograms above national limits. Fairfax Media understands Suez was granted exemptions to allow its trucks to carry 6500 kilograms. A company spokesman said that at no time were the trucks unsafe. "Suez has worked tirelessly with its supplier to rectify the issue. Suez confirms that it has conducted rectification work across the fleet to remedy the problem," the spokesman said. "Suez has also committed to implement axle weight scales to ensure drivers are constantly aware of the weight status of their vehicle as they perform collection services." Mr Pinkas said despite temporary modifications to vehicles, drivers remained concerned about the roadworthiness of their trucks, prompting Friday's action. He said drivers returned to work on Monday, having been given assurances their trucks were safe. The collection backlog from Friday was expected to be cleared during Monday's shift. But Mr Pinkas said until Suez installed the weight scales in its trucks, drivers would have to limit the amount of rubbish they carried. "There are two issues here," Mr Pinkas said. "If your vehicle is overweight, the driver can get fined and lose points. "But if you hit someone and the truck is involved in an accident, especially if you know the truck is overweight then there are huge problems involved. "It's an unroadworthy vehicle - it's like driving a car with bald tyres and you have an accident."

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