Weekly recycling collections will resume across South Gloucestershire from Wednesday 13 May after being temporarily changed to keep essential collections running during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The switch to fortnightly recycling collections has enabled us to continue to collect black bin waste as normal with a significantly reduced workforce. Encouragingly, tonnages for recycling have remained broadly comparable over the past four weeks.
Staffing levels had dropped to below 70 per cent at the time the temporary changes were brought in, but they have gradually recovered to over 80 per cent today.
From 13 May, residents are advised to put their recycling out on their normal collection day by 7am and bear in mind that our crews may be working longer hours than usual.
Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, Cllr Toby Savage has been volunteering weekly with waste and recycling crews to help with collections and show his support for the operatives who have been working flat out during the outbreak.
He said: “I’m delighted that we will soon be returning to weekly recycling collections now that our staffing levels are starting to recover. We have been doing everything possible to continue with waste and recycling collections and I must thank members of the public for their understanding and of course, our fantastic collection crews who have been working so hard during some very difficult circumstances.
“Being out with the crews on front-line collections has reinforced just how hard they work every day to collect our waste and recycling and I would like to personally thank them for their efforts. It was touching to see residents leave thank you messages on their bins, open their front doors to say thank you to the crews in person, and even offer cups of tea! I’d also like to thank the council staff who have been redeployed from other areas to provide their support; It’s been a real team effort.”
Please sort your recycling and keep items inside your recycling containers or an additional, sturdy container no larger than the green boxes; this makes it easier for our crews to pick it up and load it on to the vehicles. For more information about recycling visit www.southglos.gov.uk/recycleweekly
Our Sort It recycling centres currently remain closed but we are preparing to reopen a number of them in the coming weeks. To do this safely, there will need to be restrictions in place around social distancing and the type of waste that can be disposed of.
Before we can do this, we are seeking clarification from Government that travel to a Sort It recycling centre is deemed as essential travel, and making sure that we have the appropriate resources in place. We will provide further information on this as soon as possible.
Fortnightly garden waste collections restarted Monday 27 April with all those affected by the suspension having their subscription extended by five weeks.
If you have a backlog of garden waste, please don’t try to put it all in the bin on your first collection, spread it out over a few collections; we may not be able to empty bins if they are too heavy.
We may need to collect some recycling using other vehicles that can fit more in the back than our normal recycling vehicles. This means they don’t have to tip so often and we can complete our routes with fewer staff. Any mixed recycling collected in the other vehicles will be sent to a facility in Avonmouth to be sorted and then recycled.
Stay up to date with changes to our services affected by the coronavirus outbreak at www.southglos.gov.uk/servicedisruption
If you are struggling to manage your waste or need further information, visit www.southglos.gov.uk/sortit or call 01454 868000
