12 ways to help waste crews during Coronavirus

With more people spending time at home during the COVID-19 crisis and potentially creating more waste, there are things we can all do to help our waste crews keep up with demand, says Stroud District Council. Here, it sets out 12 ways its residents can help waste crews during Coronavirus.

1. Please don’t put too much waste out. Extra bags (side waste) won’t be collected, so make sure your waste fits in your wheelie bin if you have one. If you have bags instead of a wheelie bin, ensure you’re putting out no more than the maximum on collection day.

2. Anyone who has, or suspects they have, Covid-19 should double bag their soiled tissues and cleaning cloths and store them for 72 hours before presenting in their wheelie bin or beige sack. Please do not put tissues or used face masks in your recycling box. These should go in your general waste.

3. Minimise waste where you can. There are lots of tips to help you reduce food waste here.

4. If your recycling is still being collected, recycle as much as you can. Check the guidance on your local council website for full details.

5. Fold all cardboard to the approximate size of your recycling box. Larger pieces take up more space in the recycling trucks, resulting in more trips, and wasted time and fuel, so they may not be collected until made smaller.

6. Some councils, such as Stroud District Council, is currently unable to take orders for extra or replacement receptacles so our staff can concentrate on keeping other essential services running. If your council is in the sam position and you don’t currently have a recycling box, please improvise by using a storage box or laundry basket of a similar size; please just ensure it will be safe for the operative to lift.  

7. Many bulky waste collections have been temporarily suspended. Please keep large items at home until your council is able to start the service again.

8. Household recycling centres are all closed on government advice. Please keep hold of everything you would have disposed of there until they re-open.

9. When your wheelie bin, food bin and/or recycling box and bag have been emptied, please wash your hands after taking them in. Crews have enhanced hygiene systems in place, but we’re all still advised to wash our hands frequently.

10. Many textile banks are not accepting further donations at this time; please keep hold of with waste until they reopen. 

11. If your council still offers a garden waste collection service, avoid overfilling your garden waste bin. We know gardens are receiving lots of love and attention at the moment, but please don’t overfill bins. If you have too much for your bin, don’t force it in, try and wait for the next collection.

12. Please keep your distance. Stay at least two metres away from everyone, including the crews. They really appreciate the public’s support – so a cheery smile and wave will make their day.

Please note: Some tips have been edited to apply to everyone, not just Stroud residents. For Stroud-specific tips, click here

Privacy Overview
Circular Online

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is temporarily stored in your browser and helps our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

More information about our Cookie Policy

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly necessary cookies allow core website functionality and the website cannot be used properly without them. These cookies include session cookies and persistent cookies.

Session cookies keep track of your current visit and how you navigate the site. They only last for the duration of your visit and are deleted from your device when you close your browser.

Persistent cookies last after you’ve closed your Internet browser and enable our website to recognise you as a repeat visitor and remember your actions and preferences when you return.

Functional cookies

Third party cookies include performance cookies and targeting cookies.

Performance cookies collect information about how you use a website, e.g. which pages you go to most often, and if you get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies you personally as a visitor, although they might collect the IP address of the device you use to access the site.

Targeting cookies collect information about your browsing habits. They are usually placed by advertising networks such as Google. The cookies remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as media publishers.

Keeping these cookies enabled helps us to improve our website and display content that is more relevant to you and your interests across the Google content network.

Send this to a friend