CHANGES TO WASTE AND RECYCLING

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO WASTE AND RECYCLING SERVICES

Waste is an essential service and we are doing all we can to continue collections during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak while protecting our staff and residents. This means making some changes to waste services so we can collect everyone's waste and recycling with reduced staff levels.

From today (Tuesday 24 March): - Payments for garden waste renewals and new subscriptions have been suspended. - Collections for garden waste will continue until Friday 27 March. From Monday 30 March they will be stopped so available staff can be redeployed to collect black bin waste and recycling (see below). - All of our Sort It recycling centres have been closed.

From Monday 30 March:
- Black bin, clinical waste and sharps collections will carry on as normal.
- Garden waste bin and sack collections will be suspended until further notice.
- Recycling and food collections will change from weekly to every two weeks and will be on the same day as your black bin.
- Bulky waste collections for large household items will be suspended until further notice.
- Waste and recycling collections from properties with communal bins will carry on as normal (every two weeks).

Collections may take place later than normal as we may be working in the evenings as well as during the day. You may also see recycling collected in different vehicles.

These changes are necessary to keep the main waste and recycling collections going during this difficult time. You can help by parking your car to leave space for collection vehicles to get through and putting waste and recycling containers out by 7:00am on your black bin collection day.

Please support our collection crews by staying at least 2 metres away while they are working.

If you are self-isolating because you or someone in your household has Coronavirus (COVID-19) you should put personal waste (such as used tissues) and disposable cleaning cloths in disposable rubbish bags. These bags should be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste. Put them aside for at least 72 hours before being put in your usual external household waste bin.

Other household waste can be disposed of as normal. For further guidance for self-isolating households visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

More details about these changes will be available on www.southglos.gov.uk/servicedisruption later this morning.