Household waste collections in Buckinghamshire may be delayed due to the hot weather

Buckinghamshire Council are warning of possible delays to household waste collection as the waste crews battle hot weather.

In response to the mini heatwave Buckinghamshire is experiencing this week, the waste crews are being encouraged to take more drink breaks. Temperatures are predicted to reach highs of 30ºC in some parts of the country, so Buckinghamshire Council has been advising its recycling and waste crews to look after themselves by taking regular breaks and drinking plenty of water.

As a result collections will be slightly later than usual, however residents are still being asked to put bins out and leave them out as collections will happen.

Bill Chapple OBE, Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet Member Environment and Climate Change, said: ‘The job is very physically demanding and we want to ensure that our teams look after their personal health and wellbeing not only for themselves but so that we can maintain a full service while the temperatures stay high.

We are asking residents to put their bins out as usual and leave them out – we may collect later than usual, but we will collect!‘

With the hot weather and easing of lockdown restrictions more families and groups of friends are getting together for barbecues and picnics. The Council are asking residents to make sure that disposable barbecues are fully extinguished by pouring plenty of water or sand onto them and not place a disposable barbecue in a rubbish bin until it has cooled down completely.

Batteries can also cause fires in collection vehicles so, rather than putting them in the bin, residents are being asked to recycle them by putting them in a small bag on top of the bin on collection day. The crews will collect them separately.

Further information about bin collections can be found on the Buckinghamshire Council website at https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/bin-collection-recycling-and-waste/household-bin-collections.

*Source of article : Press release from Buckinghamshire Council.