Weather Disruption to Waste Collection Services

Climate changes are here now and extremes of weather look set to cause increasing problems for services.

Occasionally gale force winds cause all refuse tips in the County to close. When this happens, although we can collect, we have nowhere to take the waste which has to remain in our vehicles until we are able to tip again. Sometimes because our vehicles are full, we are unable to complete our scheduled days work.

Recycling collections are less liable to disruption due to wind because the material is not tipped at landfill sites.

When we are unable to collect due to icy conditions, wind, flooding, etc we ask that you take your bins back in and put them out the next week as usual. We will then collect all your waste in any container to compensate for the loss of service.

Please remember that when it is freezing, although your road may be passable with care in a car, a 26 tonne refuse vehicle can be a major risk to public safety. We are occasionally requested by the police to suspend collections because of the risks posed by these heavy vehicles.

We notify local press and radio of the situation, but still get inundated with calls from residents. If large numbers of residents call us in these situations, our telephone system and staff are unable to cope. Updates are posted on the Councils website (www.blaby.gov.uk) and could be your best means of finding information, as well as listening to local radio.

When we are unable to collect due to such weather conditions, please be patient and be assured that we will collect if it is at all possible.

Some tips for reducing problems caused by weather: -

1. When you put your bin out angle it so that the wind will not blow the lid open.
2. Try to put the bin against a fence or post to help support it.
3. If the lid is not completely closed, please try to make sure that refuse will not blow out.
4. To make better use of the capacity in the bins, squash plastic bottles and replace the cap. This stops them from expanding again and taking up a lot of space.