Rising summer temperatures are putting waste and recycling collections under pressure, as councils look to protect crews from the heat and, in particular, tackle food waste issues.
Refuse collectors in South Cambridgeshire are trialing shorts this summer
With temperatures set to reach 38C in parts of the UK today (25 July), many local authorities have said they would begin bin collections an hour earlier so workers can avoid the hottest parts of the day.
Mid Sussex, North East Lincolnshire, Sutton, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Waverley, Croydon, Ipswich, Newport, Broxbourne, Vale of White Horse, Hounslow, West Berkshire and South Oxfordshire are just some of the councils which have moved their collections in response to the weather.
Temperatures
North East Lincolnshire council told its residents it was altering bin collection times from July 24-26 when temperatures would reach 30 degrees in the area.
A spokesperson said: “A bin crew worker will typically walk 10 miles a day collecting and hauling about 10 tonnes of waste and recycling.”
“Starting an hour earlier means they avoid the afternoon high temperatures. Collections will return to the usual time next week.”
“A bin crew worker will typically walk 10 miles a day collecting and hauling about 10 tonnes of waste and recycling. Starting an hour earlier means they avoid the afternoon high temperatures”
In Ipswich residents are being asked to put their bins out the night before their scheduled collection. Rounds will begin earlier and will also be staggering throughout the day to avoid the mid-afternoon.
In London, Greenwich bins will not be emptied earlier, but some have been missed as the weather makes the work “more difficult and physically demanding”. The council says it will catch up with these collections as soon as possible.
North Somerset council reported that some waste collections had already been missed due to this week’s temperatures – as well as a traffic incident on the M5 which had added to delays.
“Due to the extreme weather some recycling, garden waste and refuse collections in the north of the area have not been collected today,” the local authority stated on Wednesday (24 July).
“Our contractors Biffa will be returning to the affected areas tomorrow.”
Food waste
Concerns among residents about heat impacting on food waste collection has become an issue for the Dorset Waste Partnership. The issue was first highlighted in summer 2018 and the authority is facing the same challenge again this year with some residents putting chemicals, such as bleach, into food waste bins during warmer months.
Dorset Waste Partnership has asked residents not to pour bleach into their food waste bins
A spokesperson for the Partnership told letsrecycle.com that it believed the chemicals had been added to deter pests and smells: “This is dangerous for our staff, who could easily be splashed by the liquid during collection, resulting in injury.
“The chemicals can also cause problems with our food recycling processes – our facilities use anaerobic digestion.”
Shorts trial
Refuse workers in Cambridge, South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire have been taking part in a well-timed trial of high-visibility shorts which is ongoing. (see Letsrecycle.com story)
A spokesperson for South Cambridgeshire council said this week that there had been positive feedback from staff who were wearing the shorts, meaning the authority would consider making them a permanent option at the end of the trial.
“There have been no reported health and safety issues or near-misses connected to crews wearing shorts so far and we of course continue to monitor this,” the authority added.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
