If disruption to waste and recycling service lasts for
more than one day, we ask you to follow the advice in these
FAQs.
What should I do if my refuse has not
been collected?
Put your wheelie bin or grey council-issued sack out on your
scheduled collection day, if it is safe for you to do so.
If your wheelie bin is not emptied please leave it out in a safe
position. The collection crew will come back as soon as they can.
If it’s not safe to leave it out, please leave your bin as close to
the road as possible where the crew will see it.
If your sacks are not collected but could cause a hazard for
other people please take them back in and put them out on
your next scheduled collection day. But if you have space, please
leave them as close to the road as possible where they can be
clearly seen and the collection crew will come back as soon as
possible.
There’s no need for you to report a missed collection if your
whole road has been missed. The crews will be back next week to
collect your refuse if it’s safe for them to do so.
What should I do if my recycling and
food waste has not been collected?
Put your recycling boxes and food caddy out on your next
scheduled collection day, if it is safe for you to do so.
If they are not emptied by 7pm that day please take them back in
and put them back out again next week on your scheduled collection
day.
There’s no need for you to report a missed collection. The crews
will be back next week to collect your recycling and food waste if
it’s safe for them to do so.
Please continue to sort your recycling into individual materials
– it speeds up collection, reduces congestion and allows crews to
collect from more properties.
What should I do if my green waste
has not been collected?
Put out your green waste bag(s) on your scheduled collection
day. If they’re not collected by 7pm bring them back in and put
them back out next month on your scheduled collection day.
Is there anywhere that I can take my
waste and recycling to get rid of it?
Yes, if it’s safe to do so you can take your refuse, food,
recycling and garden waste to any of our recycling
centres. You can find your nearest recycling centre using our
interactive map -
choose the recycling facilities option. Food waste can be
taken to the centres but regrettably we cannot recycle it there and
it will be dealt with as general waste.
Where are the temporary waste and
recycling centres and what time are they open?
If these are set up we will promote their locations and opening
hours on our website and through the local media.
What can I take to the temporary
waste and recycling centres?
If these sites are set up you will be able to take your refuse,
recycling, food and green waste to the temporary centres
Your plans show that you could have
up to 15 temporary waste and recycling centres - will all of these
be open and operating at the same time?
Our intention is that these temporary centres could be
available in your area on your collection day and, if possible, the
day after, if normal collection vehicles cannot get to the general
area. Collection vehicles will be used at the static sites –
these sites may not all be operating at the same time as vehicles
may be required for kerbside collections.
What plans do you have in place to
deal with the disruption?
We have prepared and planned for adverse weather so we can
continue to collect recycling and waste, reduce disruption and
return to normal collections as soon as possible.
I’m having to put out extra waste as
my wheeled bin is now full, will you take this?
Normally we would not take this “side waste”, but yes, during
periods of disruption we will take it. Leave it in a bag next
to your wheeled bin.
What extra resources are being put
in place?
This depends on operational requirements but may include weekend
working, crews working extra hours and resources being brought in
from other areas.
We may also introduce different vehicles onto the recycling
rounds to help us speed up the collections during the bad weather.
This may mean that your recycling isn’t sorted at the kerbside to
speed up the collections, but rest assured it will be sorted later
for re-processing.
Do the crews have
crampons?
Yes, in preparation for the bad weather we have made sure that
the collection crews have appropriate footwear to reduce the risk
of slipping on the ice.
I can get my car out on the road,
why can’t the collection vehicles?
The collection vehicles have to operate as safely as possible –
for the crews, other road users and pedestrians. Due to the
vehicles’ size and weight, as well as health and safety issues, it
may be deemed unsafe for them to operate in certain conditions.
How long will it take for
collections to return to normal?
We have changed our catch-up procedures this year to ensure we
are able to cope with the back-log of collections more effectively.
How long it takes will depend largely on how long the severe
weather conditions last, but the new procedures will help us to get
back to normal as quickly as possible.
This is a national issue and our catch-up operations are
dependent on availability of resources and the ability to bring in
extra crews and vehicles from other areas.
I have an assisted collection. What
happens if my recycling and waste is not
collected?
If you can see that the rest of your street has been collected,
but yours has not you should
report a missed collection online.
Why can we leave our refuse out but
have to bring in our recycling if it has been
missed?
Leaving your refuse out means that our crews can return to
collect it. If it’s brought back in it may not be collected
for two weeks. As recycling is collected every week
presenting it the next week means it’s more likely to be
collected. If recycling is left out contents may blow onto
the street.
It is easier and quicker to collect bins and bags from icy
pavements as crews will normally have a free arm to use to balance.
A recycling box can be heavy and also requires both hands to carry
making the risk of slipping greater.
Who is paying for the extra
resources if they need to be brought in?
The contract with May Gurney has provision for this type of
situation and residents can be assured that there will be no
additional burden on council tax for the cost of additional
resources.
Have collection vehicles been
fitted with special equipment to help them cope with icy
roads?
We have looked into this and have considered snow socks and snow
chains, but both would not be entirely effective.
Why has my food waste been picked
up, but my green boxes left full?
Due to the slower speed at which the crews can collect when
surfaces are slippery, we have asked them to focus on food waste if
they are behind schedule. We know this is the recycling that people
are keenest to get rid of, and can be more difficult to store for
longer periods. If your green boxes have not been emptied by 7pm,
please take them back in, and put them back out next week on your
scheduled collection day.
My whole road has been missed
today, what should I do?
You don’t need to do anything to tell us – we will already know.
Just follow the advice in the first three questions in these FAQs
which tells you what you need to do for each type of missed
collection – refuse, recycling and green waste.
What should I do if my collection
has been missed but the rest of my road has been
collected?
If you can see that the rest of your street has been collected,
but yours you should
report a missed collection online.
