Covid hits collection of Christmas trees and piles of wrapping paper

DERBY City Council has issued guidance to residents during its “busiest time of year” as staff absences due to Covid hit bin collections in the city.

Residents have received notice that the city’s brown bin collections have been halted after a number of staff members were forced to isolate due to Covid-19.

In an email issued to residents, Derby City Council told people to keep their brown bins off the kerbside until their next scheduled collection day. This means that many homes across Derby will be stuck with their Christmas trees until at least mid-January.

The council also announced on Wednesday that refuse collectors were unable to empty blue bins, full of wrapping paper and recycling from the festive period, on nine streets in the city.

The majority of streets affected were in Allestree and Darley, although Beaufort Street in Chaddesden was also affected.

The council told the Derby Telegraph: “Like other industries and organisations, we’re experiencing staff absences due to Covid in our waste collection service. As a result, we took the decision to cancel brown bin collections this week.

“The return after Christmas is the busiest time of year for our refuse collection teams, with excess waste caused by Christmas. The excess waste means our vehicles fill up faster and have to take more trips to empty the vehicles, all of which takes time and can mean we can’t get to every bin.”

The council also offered guidance to Derby city residents on how to reduce strain on refuse collection services during this time. It has asked that households take steps to reduce waste as well as store excess recycling at home for the next fortnight if possible.

The authority said: “Wiping down the handles of their wheelie bins with an antibacterial product” can also reduce the chances of refuse staff becoming infected with Covid19 as cases rise across the UK.

It advised that Covid-19 tests be double-bagged when disposed of and that anyone in a household that has confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19 should double bag and store waste for 72 hours before placing it in a black bin.

Latest information on bin services in Derby can be found on Derby City Council’s website.