Bin collections cancelled in coronavirus crisis as families told to take waste to tips
Some bin collections have been cancelled during the coronavirus outbreak, leaving families to take their rubbish to the tip.
Councils around the country have told Brits not to wait for lorries to collect their rubbish in bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 as the UK death toll rose to 184.
Households’ concerned over whether their rubbish will be collected should contact their local authority online, where councils should be detailing the changes on a dedicated webpage.
Derby City Council won’t collect food or garden waste which is emptied every fortnight, but general household waste and recycling will still be picked up.
Another council, Cambridge City, is to suspend all garden waste collections from Monday until May 4.
The council wrote on its website: “The suspension of green bin collections will allow crews to concentrate on emptying blue and black bins during the coming weeks.
Black bin bags and rubbish on streets of Birmingham (Image: Birmingham Mail)
“It will also assist with any future staff sickness or self-isolation issues.”
In Hackney, East London, households are being asked not to put personal waste into bins until they’ve been stored for 72 hours.
While some local authorities have already made alterations to the service, others are yet too.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said: “The Government stands ready to do whatever is necessary to support councils in their response to coronavirus.
“We are working with them and the waste industry to ensure that waste collections are prioritised to protect the environment and human health.”
People are being told to take their waste to the tip (Image: Bath Chronicle)
The news comes as Boris Johnson has ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close as the Government announced unprecedented measures to cover the wages of workers who would otherwise lose their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Prime Minister said that nightclubs, theatres, gyms and leisure centres should close their doors from Friday night to slow the spread of Covid-19 and prevent the NHS coming under unsustainable pressure.
At his daily Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister said the measures were needed to reduce “unnecessary” social gatherings by 75% in order to have an impact on the infection rate.
“The speed of our eventual recovery depends entirely on our collective ability to get on top of the virus now and that means we have to take the next steps on scientific advice,” he said.
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