Recycling bin collections in Sandwell suspended due to Covid-19 absences
Blue lid recycling bin collections in Sandwell have been suspended because of the amount of staff off work due to Covid-19.
Sandwell Council said it had discussed the issue with contractors Serco and decided to suspend suspend the collections between January 25 and January 29.
Councillor Maria Crompton, the authority's deputy leader, said: "This week we have had around 40 per cent of Serco’s frontline workers off due to Covid-19 related absences with the majority of them either self-isolating or shielding.
"Together with our environmental partner Serco, we have made the difficult decision to pause recycling collections next week.
“Although we are planning a one-week pause in recycling bin collections – the situation is continually changing, which means we will be reviewing the situation on a daily basis.
"Please check our website and social media channels for updates to bin collections.
“Our recycling crews will be prioritising household waste collection (grey) bins and residents should put these bins out as normal on their collection day.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
"However, due to the current global pandemic and very high infection rates in our region, we are currently dealing with an unprecedented situation and by taking this approach, we stand the best chance of providing reliable waste service collections for residents.
“I want to thank all our residents for their continued support and patience during these difficult times. Please bear with us and stay safe.”
Any recycling bins not collected this week, should be left out on Sunday – and crews will try to collect as many missed bins as possible.
