Bromley Council halting recycling services, environmental impact vs Covid 19

[Randomnessembraced]

All paper, plastic and garden waste recycling services were stopped from 24 March due to Covid 19 until further notice. The local tips are all closed. Normal rubbish will be collected every 2 weeks and food rubbish every week. How does this compare to other councils? Most people are having to put plastic and paper into normal refuse as they don't have the space to store it. Is this proportional? There is a pandemic but will it be bad for the environment?

At the moment we have just been asked not to put any bins out if less than half full. Tips have all shut.

I noticed yesterday our recycling collection was done by an outside agency which isn’t usual so I assume they are struggling and have subcontracted for now so I wouldn’t be surprised if they have to reduce or stop recycling collections going forward.

It’s not ideal but sometimes needs must

Neighbouring borough - no problems here.

There are more important things to worry about than recycling at the moment. Just squash it down and chuck it in the normal bin, if it's paper and card it'll biodegrade anyway.

We're in Medway and they are still collecting weekly, apart from food waste bins.

Ours has stopped gadswn and glass.
Not general recycling. But they've said it may happen
All other waste is fortnightly.. We don't have separate food waste. I have no where to store the extra at all. I normally go to the tip when needed.
My step dad works on the bins and they've been told to turn a blind eye if recycling or glass, garden is put in regular waste bin.

What would you suggest they do though, if there literally aren’t the staff to do the collections and sorting? They’re not doing it for shits and giggles, they are doing it because they literally cannot ensure good staff coverage and are prioritising general waste as that is the one that can cause a public health hazard.

Our council has stopped green waste collections. Annoying as we need to sort our garden, but we recognise why it was done And support them doing so. We’re discussing strategies for what they do if they cancel recycling, as that probably will happen if this all drags on.

Our council has stopped collecting garden waste and recycling. They explained that crews have to be smaller to enable social distancing in the truck, so they were prioritising collecting just normal rubbish. Makes sense to me.

Local supermarkets have recycling facilities so we'll use those when shopping instead.

Many refuse and recycling teams are Suffering unprecedented sickness rates. I imagine your council has taken the difficult decision to stop recycling collections rather than waste.

Ours have stopped garden and food waste recycling. Paper, cans and glass still going ahead for now.

Our council abruptly stopped garden & food waste collection (after a lovely week when people did a lot of work in gardens!). Other collections are less frequent.

I understand why, but given our black bins are tiny and only collected fortnightly, plus tips are closed, I think the council should treat garden waste bins as black bins, and allow households to fill 2 bins per fortnight.

They’ve suspended collection of cardboard and garden waste here. Food waste Is collected every 2 weeks and tins, plastic and glasses every 3 weeks, both as normal. This is in S.Yorkshire

Our cardboard bin is full to the top and all the recycling centres have closed. We’ve just been asked to keep our rubbish that isn’t being collected in the house...

Ours are still taking rubbish/recycling as usual - on a 3 week cycle except for food which is every 2 weeks. Tips are closed and fly tipping has increased

St Helens, all recycling, food waste and garden waste cancelled. We’ve been told to put it in general waste which will be collected weekly instead of fortnightly. We’re home composting what food and garden waste we can, and storing cans, plastic, paper and glass in the garage until recycling starts again.

Ours stopped green waste - well it never started to be fair! Will.just have to store in the garage if plastic and glass.

My main priority is that normal household waste is collected.
If they stop collecting that, that's when the issues start.

In my city of Birmingham the bin men went on strike for weeks and weeks last year. It caused havoc.

Our district council is still collecting recycling as normal. The county council has closed all the recycling centres though, so we've had a bonfire of garden waste that is too big to compost (after dark and notifying neigbours so that they could shut windows!).

If they stop the recycling collection, I guess it will just have to go in with the normal rubbish. We could possibly find space in the garage for bottles/glass, and maybe paper, but not for tins, food trays and cardboard.

Our garden waste has been suspended, just after they brought in a charge for it.

They are prioritising general waste, not sure about recycling at the moment but it was collected this week, I think they are planning on 2 weekly collections for recycling.

If they reduce it, there will be more recycling put in general waste and fly tipped in the country lanes and outside folks garage doors.

I suspect that the more thoughtless will continue to burn it so that people with breathing problems have to keep their windows shut in the nice warm weather due to the stinking smoke. Excess recycling can be bagged and stored in a shed or even a corner of the garden, no need to cause more distress to others.

Fortnightly normal rubbish collections, garden waste had one collection then stopping, recycling still being collected fortnightly but I image this will stop next. Dumps closed. I have more of an issue with dumps being closed though. Fly tipping will increase massively and I think it’s a bit short sighted.

They've suspended garden waste here (Reigate & Banstead) but everything else is running so far. I don't use the food waste service anyway as we have a major compost heap operation. If recycling gets suspended then I can at least compost the cardboard.

Both my bins (normal rubbish and recycling) have been collected twice this week. They’re usually done fortnightly. We’re not sure why we’ve suddenly had extra collections.

Bromley council have just reinstated plastic/glass etc from today - phew! Plus prepaid garden waste.

No garden waste collections. Black bins and recycling are to be sorted (because otherwise you won't have enough space in your black bin) but it all goes to an incinerator. Black bin and recycling collections are now weekly

No garden waste collections and tips are closed. Rubbish and recycling as normal. Durham.

What reason is behind this? Short of staff? Or money?

I think it's terrible unless absolutely necessary. Unsanitary conditions will only make people unwell so it's a false economy. Was it Brighton where people started hoarding their rubbish in their houses?

It's staff. Our council are prioritising core services with the personnel they have left. People pay extra for garden waste so it's not money.

Huge staff problem to illness so recycling stopped in my area. Tips closed too.