Corona Virus – What to do with your personal waste.

The following has been received today [24th March] from Dorset Council

Dorset Council has closed all its household recycling centres (HRCs, or ‘the tip’) until further notice in order to comply with the latest central government guidance on staying at home and away from others.

However, your normal kerbside bin collections will continue to take place for the time being. We have already issued information on how we’re planning to ensure this essential service remains in place.

With people staying at home all day during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, household waste levels are expected to increase. We are reminding people that we have limited capacity in our collection vehicles and at our waste transfer stations, and so we need Dorset residents to help.

Right now, there are certain measures everyone can take to reduce pressure on the kerbside collection service and keep people safe: –

  • If you have symptoms of coronavirus, make sure you double-bag your waste (especially tissues and cleaning cloths) and store it safely for 72 hours before placing it in your usual black wheelie bin or authorised blue sack
  • Do not place tissues in your recycling bin. These go in your black rubbish bin
  • Do not create excess waste you’d usually need to take to an HRC. This includes gardening (unless you home-compost), large DIY jobs or house clearances. If you do have excess waste, keep it stored safely until the HRCs reopen. Do not hand your rubbish to an unlicensed waste carrier for disposal
  • Continue to keep rubbish and recycling separated. Check out our Right Stuff Right Bin webpage
  • Try to minimise the amount of waste your household produces. We have advice on our Slim Your Bins webpage
  • Create more space in your recycling bin by squashing/flattening plastic, aluminium and cardboard items. You should not however compress rubbish in black bags, your black wheelie bin or authorised blue sack. Please do not squash waste down into your bin after you’ve put it in there as this can prevent it falling out during the emptying process
  • Do not put your glass box out for collection until it is full
  • Park responsibly. More people staying at home has obviously led to more cars parked on residential streets, creating problems for our drivers who cannot access some roads. Make sure you leave enough room for our larger vehicles to pass and turn safely
  • If your collection has been missed, please check our service disruption page on the coronavirus section of the Dorset Council website before reporting. You will find service updates and instructions on what to do with your bins there.

We would like to thank everyone for playing their part in helping us keep these vital services going and to our front-line workers who are working hard to ensure everyone’s waste continues to be dealt with safely and responsibly.

The Dorset Council Waste Services team

Waste: Guidance for people with confirmed or possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection

Personal waste (such as used tissues) and disposable cleaning cloths can be stored securely within disposable rubbish bags.
These bags should be placed into a second bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste in the room in which you are self-isolating.
Keep these bags aside for at least 72 hours before putting into your usual black wheelie bin.
People without wheelie bins who use authorised blue bags for their rubbish should place personal waste in a securely tied disposable rubbish bag (like a black bin bag) before placing in your blue sack. This also applies to those who use gull-proof sacks.

Recycling, glass, food and garden waste can be placed in your usual bins.

We thank you for your co-operation. You can find our latest advice here.

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