Bin Collections During High Winds or Severe Weather

High Winds

During high winds, bins with a small amount of waste can be blown over, especially the blue & purple bin containing lighter recycling materials. This could lead to rubbish being blown around your street.

If you think your bin could be blown over during periods of high wind consider waiting until your next collection or take your recycling/landfill waste to a Recycling Centre

If the bin does need to be emptied:
• Make sure bins are closed and secure.
• Don't put your bin out too early, we recommend you put your bin out on the morning of collection, before 7:30am.
• Put your bin alongside a shelter, such as a wall or a fence (if a shelter is available on the kerbside).
• If there is no shelter at the kerbside, place bins in clusters with your neighbours' bins.
• Weigh the bin down if possible.
• Bring your bin in as soon as possible after collection.

Bungee cords can be used to secure lids, or to secure bins to fences/walls, however they must be removed for servicing.  For Health & Safety reasons our Waste Operatives will not service bins with bungee cords still attached.

Severe Weather

We will continue to undertake the regular scheduled collection of household and commercial waste wherever it is deemed safe to do so. The decision on whether it is safe for a refuse collection vehicle to access a specific location/street has to be determined locally by the driver of that vehicle, taking into account the driving and weather conditions at that time and the physical nature of the area that has to be negotiated.

If the driver decides that it is not safe to access an area, then they will report this to their manager and the our customer service staff to enable them to answer any enquiries. If significant numbers of residents/business are affected then an alert will also be posted onto our website and Facebook to provide information to the affected people.

If underfoot conditions are safe enough to do so, bins will be manually pulled out of side roads to be emptied but may not be returned to their previous position. Alternatively, we will try to return and collect missed bins within 24 hours of the scheduled collection date where possible. If this is not possible, householders can present excess refuse and bagged recycling next to their bins at the next collection three weeks later.

Details of arrangements to catch up with collections will be posted on our website and Facebook and communicated to the public through the local media. You may be asked to leave your bins out for collection for the remainder of the week.

During Continuing Severe Weather

If it is not possible to empty your bin due to continuing bad weather conditions, then it will be highly unlikely that we will be able to return for your household refuse or recycling before the next collection day. If this happens, you can present excess bagged refuse and recycling next to your bins and these will be uplifted on your next scheduled collection day.

In exceptional adverse weather conditions it may prove necessary to temporarily suspend all refuse collection arrangements in a particular area. The collection of residual waste will then take priority over garden and food waste. We will continue to attempt to empty your recycling containers. As soon as conditions improve the service will resume as normal.

Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs)

If, due to severe weather, the sites have to close for practical or health and safety reasons, then details of the closures will be posted on our website and Facebook page as an alert and communicated to contact centre staff. Notices will also be displayed at the sites detailing the closure. Every attempt will be made to ensure that sites re-open as quickly as possible following such a closure.

Self Help

It should be noted that the majority of HWRCs remained open throughout the whole period of extreme bad winter weather over the past few years. Residents that have not received their normal refuse collection service as a result of snow/ice creating access problems for refuse vehicles can, if they wish to do so, take their waste to their nearest HWRC.

A sudden drop in temperature can result in some garden/food waste freezing inside the brown wheeled bins. This can prevent us from emptying bins that are frozen. The following suggestions may help ensure that you can receive an effective service despite the weather. You can help by:

1. Loosening the materials inside the bin before presenting it for collection
2. Try not to over fill or over pack the bin - this compacts the garden waste particularly the materials at the bottom of the bin. The more compact it is, the more likely it is to freeze.
3. Try to keep the lids closed to reduce moisture build up. If you are able to keep the garden bin in a garage or shed, this can also help prevent the waste freezing.