Councils prepare for winter waste collections

As snow begins to fall in parts of the UK, councils are gearing up to ensure waste collections can continue despite the weather.

With the first bout of snow falling overnight, severe weather warning have today (December 5) been issued by the Met Office for most of Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England, with Scotland appearing to be worst affected.

Some waste collections in Clydesdale and East Kilbride have already been postponed due to heavy snowfall.

However, elsewhere councils have said they are putting plans in place to avoid a repeat performance of last year which saw several councils suspend their collections due to the snow (see letsrecycle.com story).

Stafford

Stafford city council said it learnt lessons from last year by taking part in exercise Cold Fury with its waste collection contractors Biffa in which different weather scenarios were assessed to determine how collection services could be maintained should severe weather conditions arise.

The table top exercise was designed to validate the new Adverse Weather Working Arrangements to ensure that the service could be delivered safely and efficiently in the event of prolonged snow and severe weather conditions.

It also assessed how any collections missed due to the weather could be caught up.
Biffa is confident that by implementing the plan it will be able to change things on the ground. Commenting on the exercise a spokesman for Biffa said: Across its contracts, Biffa managers are reviewing and finalising procedures and plans, often with client council involvement, to assure, wherever possible, that recycling and refuse collections can be maintained, and if not, what recovery plans and resident advice will be required.

Safety first

Rhondda Cynon Taf council, in Wales, is meanwhile hoping to avoid a repeat performance of last year which saw it suspend it waste and recycling collections due to heavy snowfall (see letsrecycle.com story).

The council plans to issue its collection crews with ice cleats for their boots; however it remains adamant that crews will only be sent out if it is safe for them do so.

A spokeswoman for the council said: The council will as always do all in its power to ensure that refuse and recycling is collected on time, however if this is not possible due to extreme weather conditions then collections will take place as soon as it is safe to do so.

Dacorum

Meanwhile, in Dacorum in Hertfordshire the council said that the reorganisation of its waste collection routes should reduce confusion amongst residents should the collections be postponed due to severe weather. The borough now has alternate weekly collections of refuse and recyclables. Collection crews will also be given studs for their boots.

Julie Laws, portfolio holder for environment and sustainability at Dacorum, explained: It is difficult to predict the impact severe weather will have on your bin collections but we promise to make every effort to keep the rounds to schedule if there is snow and ice this winter.

However, like Rhondda Cynon Taf, the council insisted that the safety of its crews and residents was its top priority.

Decisions to delay the service are never taken lightly, but the safety of our staff, pedestrians, and other road users must be considered. Bin lorries can weigh up to 26 tonnes, making them hazardous to drive in icy conditions, and especially so on hills and narrow streets. Moving the bins themselves over snow and ice can also be dangerous and lead to falls, Cllr Laws said.

HSE

Giving advice on the conditions for collection crews the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said that due to the diverse conditions that collection crews face they must assess the risks based on the weather at the time, as it can change rapidly.

A spokesman for the HSE said: “HSE expects local authorities or contractors to consider local conditions when assesing risk. There is no one size fits all solution as collection routes and the prevailing weather conditions can varygreatly from place to place.”

He continued: “HSE suggests thatat timesof bad weatherindividual LAsandcontractorswho are involved in waste and recycling collectionsliaiseregularly with the highway authority regarding prevailing road conditions, adopt a consistent approach to when collection can or cannot take place,andmake every effort to keep the public informed of their decisions.”

An annual report published by the Local Government Association entitled the Winter Readiness Survey 2011/12 shows that councils across England and Wales have stockpiled approximately 1.4 million tonnes of salt, more than the total amount used last winter.