Bin collection in the snow
If there is snowy and icy weather, please put your bins out as normal if it is safe for you to do so. Also watch out for updates on this web page and also Twitter and Facebook.
We do all we can to empty your bin/s during snowy and icy weather, but we also have to be mindful of the safety of local people, our drivers, our crews, our vehicles, and cars parked on streets.
Our trucks are very heavy, particularly when they have a full load, and we need to be sure they will not slip or slide, or cause damage to parked vehicles, buildings or pedestrians before we move into a street. The decision on whether or not it is safe for our vehicles to drive in certain areas or streets will be made by our drivers locally. Our drivers will take into account the driving and weather conditions at the time they arrive in an area, and the physical nature of the roads that have to be driven down.
We often hire in extra staff and trucks to catch up on missed collections, but when the weather is bad across the country, lots of councils need to hire in more trucks to deliver extra collections, so they are not always available.
We will prioritise black bins over recycling collections and if we miss bins we may have to prioritise catching up on black bins, rather than recycling. This is because black bins often contain sanitary products, such as disposable nappies.
During very icy or snowy weather we may suspend collections of garden waste bins to safeguard our crews and trucks. In such circumstances we will do our best to return as soon as possible. If we cannot return to empty your bin, we will not offer any refunds.
Equally, if our crews are unable to empty your bin because the contents are frozen, we won’t be able to return because it is likely that several thousand bins will also be affected and we won't have the resources to do so. On icy mornings when your bin is due to be emptied, we recommend you loosen the contents of your bin if it has been frosty and check that the lid will open.
Thank you for your understanding.