Where bin collection rules are changing due to UK heatwave
Councils across the country have made changes to rubbish collection rules as a heatwave sparks record-breaking temperatures in the UK.
A red warning for extreme heat has been issued in the south of England, the Midlands and parts of Wales on Wednesday and Thursday.
Temperatures are predicted to exceed 37 degrees in the next few days and rise to 38 degrees or even 40 degrees in some areas.
Some municipalities in areas affected by this red weather alert are ensuring that garbage and recycling collection workers do not work during the hottest hours of the day.
Authorities including Cheltenham Borough Council, Somerset Council and Bristol Waste have announced they will start tours from 4am so refuse workers can avoid extreme weather conditions.
South West
Somerset Council will start collections at 6am and stop them at noon on Wednesdays and Thursdays. According to the council’s website, the remaining waste will be collected towards the end of the week.
Councilor Federica Smith-Roberts said: “The safety and wellbeing of our team, site staff and residents is our priority during this period of extreme heat.
“We have worked closely with our contractors and do not change regulations lightly. Working on waste collection and recycling sites is physically demanding work and closing recycling facilities to the public during the hottest part of the day is a logical step to help keep residents and staff safe.”
Waste collection in Bristol will start at 4am on Wednesdays and Thursdays and will be stopped when it is no longer safe to work.
“Protecting our colleagues from dangerously hot working conditions is our absolute priority, which is why we have taken the decision to change shift patterns,” Bristol Waste said. “Teams will meet during cooler parts of the day and stop work when the weather is no longer safe for our colleagues.”
Cheltenham Borough Council will also start its tours an hour earlier, at 6am instead of 7am, to avoid the heat. In addition, it was decided to start the work earlier in the future periods when hot weather will be experienced throughout the summer.
Councilor Steve Harvey, cabinet member for waste, recycling and green open spaces, said: “As a result of the warm weather, our waste and recycling collections will start earlier than usual in the mornings.
“This is to help our crews and vehicles cope with the heat and ensure they can complete scheduled collections. “Residents are asked to leave recycling bins, food bins, rubbish and garden bins for kerbside collection by 6am.
“Our crews will do their best to be as quiet as possible when going out for collection in the early hours of the morning.”
South Gloucestershire council canceled recycling collections on Wednesday and said it would only prioritize food waste, black bins and garden waste due to the heatwave.
West Midlands
Shropshire Council said rubbish collections would start at 6am on Wednesday and Thursday and finish by midday due to “unprecedented heat”.
The council added that garden waste will not be collected during the extreme measures so garden waste teams can assist with the collection of recycling and general waste.
East of England
The garbage collection teams in the tender will start their tours at 6 am this week. In a post on Facebook, the council explained the changes were made to help “beat the heat”.
“Households collecting on those days are asked to have their waste and recycling removed by 6am (instead of the usual 7am) to help our colleagues stay cool,” he added.
Central Bedfordshire council also published a note on its website that rubbish collections will start at 6am instead of 7am from June 19-26 due to the hot weather.
