Due to both a national unavailability of HGV drivers and a small number of Covid-19 related cases, including crew being required to self-isolate in line with Government guidelines, residents living in the Chiltern and Wycombe areas are experiencing significant disruption to their household bin collection service.
This isn’t an issue isolated to Buckinghamshire, as many other local authorities are unfortunately facing the same issues. Buckinghamshire Council is working hard with its contractor, Veolia, to try to minimise further disruptions. This has included Veolia recruiting additional drivers to help get the service back on track and incentivising existing drivers to remain.
Buckinghamshire Council would like to thank residents for their ongoing patience and understanding as it works hard to implement measures to improve the service. Currently, approximately 20% of scheduled collections are unable to be completed and are having to be carried over and rescheduled for the next day.
There are a few things residents can also do to help:
- Please check the Buckinghamshire Council website before reporting a missed bin.
Rounds that the crews have been unable to complete are published online at the end of each day: www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/bin-collection-recycling-and-waste/report-a-missed-bin-collection. If your address is listed, please do not report your bin as a missed bin as these rounds will have already been rescheduled and reporting a missed bin will cause unnecessary duplication. - If your bin has been missed, please leave your bin presented and ready for collection.
The crews will aim to return to empty any missed bins the next day, but please continue to present your bin ready for collection until they have revisited. Please also ensure access to the road is kept clear so the crews can come back to carry out rescheduled collections.
Councillor Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, commented:
“Disruptions to household bin collections can be frustrating for residents so I want to say a big thank you to anyone who has been affected for your continued patience. Our teams are working really hard to get the service back up and running to full capacity despite the challenges faced by external factors.
“I would like to urge anyone whose bin has been missed to report it online where appropriate, and to please leave your bins presented and ready for collection as the crews will return as soon as possible.”
Andrew Reidy, General Manager for Veolia, said:
“We currently have a small number of positive Covid-19 cases affecting our operations, with others being required to self-isolate in line with Government guidelines. This is changing every day and we are allocating our resources flexibly to ensure that services are maintained whilst adhering to Covid guidance.”
Further information on Buckinghamshire Council’s recycling and waste service can be found online at: www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/bin-collection-recycling-and-waste
If you or some you know is a CPC-qualified HGV driver covering both Class 1 and Class 2 and are interested in joining the Veolia team, please visit: https://bit.ly/VeoliaHGV
