BDBC COVID-19 – Bin Collections

Waste collections temporarily reduced to protect service and bin crews

Bin collections are set to be reduced temporarily to ensure waste, recycling, glass and clinical waste collections can continue in the borough during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Leader, by agreement with Group Leaders and the Chair of Scrutiny and working with officers and Serco, has taken the difficult decision to reduce the frequency the grey waste bin is collected to protect bin crews and sustain the service for the duration of the pandemic.

This means residents will be asked to only put out their green recycling bin and glass container on their normal recycling collection day and the other week put out their grey waste bin. The waste bin will be collected every fortnight instead of every week. The day of the week that bins are collected will not change.

The temporary changes to the service will start from Monday 20 April and will be monitored and reviewed regularly to respond to changes in government guidance as they emerge.

Many councils in Hampshire already have a fortnightly waste collection service and recently one other council has had to reduce its waste bin collections following the outbreak of the virus.

Bin crews in Basingstoke and Deane have continued to work hard to deliver the waste collection service during these challenging times and the council has already taken steps to reduce the pressure on the service by suspending garden waste and bulky waste collections.

These changes have enabled weekly waste collections to continue for several weeks longer than anticipated but, to allow staff to follow guidance on self-isolation, this cannot be sustained indefinitely and measures need to be put in place to protect the crews and ensure residents receive a regular and reliable service.

Those residents currently receiving an assisted collection, as they need help to put out their own bins and do not have anyone who can do this for them, will continue to get this support from the bin crews. The clinical waste service will also continue to run as normal for those customers who are registered to use this service.

Households with smaller 140 litre waste bins will be able to leave out two extra black sacks. Those households with larger 240 litre waste bins can only fill their bin as normal.

Support and information will be available through the council’s website, social media and e-newsletter to help residents reduce the amount of rubbish they put in their grey bin and maximise the amount of recycling they put in their green bin and glass container.

For more information on the changes and answers to frequently asked questions visit COVID-19 – Bins and recycling.