Swindon Borough Council are going to be prioritising certain waste collections over the coming months amid the continuing coronavirus crisis.
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on many council services and the waste collection team has faced staff shortages due to a combination of the ongoing self-isolation measures and illness.
The nature of the work means that staff have to be trained and have a good level of fitness, making staff redeployment from other areas of the Council more difficult.
What waste collections are ‘priority’?
- Black wheelie bin,
- Blue bag,
- Food waste and
- Clinical waste services
As a result of social distancing rules, crews will be reduced to just a driver and a loader and, having an impact on how much waste can be collected on each round.
Councillor Maureen Penny, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment, said: “The crews are working as quickly and efficiently as possible to deliver your waste and recycling collections.
“We are constantly reviewing the service in these uncertain times to ensure we are prioritising perishable waste collections, however like many other front-line services we are contending with ongoing self-isolation measures and staff sickness.
“We thank our residents for their patience during this time and encourage our residents to keep up to date with any changes to our services on the Council’s website.”
As of today, garden waste collections will be suspended until Wednesday, 8th April 2020.
Swindonians can help the Council during these unprecedented times by changing the way they handle waste to help keep vital collection services running. This includes:
- Avoiding DIY or garden work that will produce large amounts of waste that can’t be disposed of
- Reducing food waste, tips for this can be found at lovefoodhatewaste.com
- Reducing waste in general
- Avoiding creating bonfires
