LGA: Be patient if snow halts waste collections

Councils have urged residents to remain patient ahead of warnings of severe snowfall forecast for the next 24 hours, which could wreak havoc on waste collections across the country.

The Met Office warned yesterday (January 17) that a band of snow is likely to push into the west of the country on Friday morning, with parts of Wales, the west of England and Northern Ireland particularly at risk of heavy falls of snow and blizzard conditions.

Meanwhile, in the Midlands, central and southern England, as much as 10 to 15 cm of snow are expected to fall.

Andy Page, Met Office chief forecaster, said: The snow is expected to be heaviest during Friday morning across Wales and the southern half of England.

Clearly there is the potential for significant disruption to peoples plans. We should follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities to help keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe in light of the forecast.

LGA

With travel likely to be more dangerous in some areas, it is expected that the adverse weather could have a knock-on effect on waste collections. The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in the UK, has urged residents to bear with councils if their service is affected.

A spokesman for the LGA, told letsrecycle.com: Last year virtually all councils were able to continue rubbish collections as normal and in the few cases where this wasnt possible arrangements were made to quickly return to normal collections. However, the safety of the public and waste crews must come first. Sending a 26 tonne dustcart down an icy residential street packed with cars and pedestrians can be extremely dangerous.

With heavy snow predicted and the severe cold weather expected to be around for a least the next few days, councils will need residents to work with them. This may mean that councils need to move collection days at short notice, but with a normal service resumed as soon after as possible.”

He added that councils are likely to prioritise refuse collection over recycling where possible.

Safety

Meanwhile, the Health and Safety Executive has advised collection crews to communicate with residents about any changes to service and to ensure that no lives are put at risk in dangerous conditions.

Wayne Williams, inspector for the HSE, said: The ice issue comes around every year in terms of when is it safe to undertake collections because of the conditions of the roads or pavements. It is a local issue as the weather varies from one place to another.

Waste collection crews, whether they are from councils or private companies, have to make a decision on the condition of the road and whether it is safe to collect the waste. If it is not safe to do so they should make sure they communicate this with residents.