Fortnightly brown bin garden waste collections may not return in Hartlepool in spring 2021 as covid pandemic rages on

Hartlepool Borough Council last year initially suspended brown bin collections, for garden waste, in response to the coronavirus outbreak in order to ease pressure on resources.

When they resumed in May 2020, it was announced households would receive one brown bin collection every four weeks, instead of the usual two weeks, due to the impact of the pandemic.

As part of the recent Hartlepool Borough Council question and answer session with residents over Covid-19, a question was raised about when the seasonal service resumes this year, whether it will go back to every two weeks.

Denise McGuckin, council managing director, said it was ‘difficult to say’ at the moment, but they may have to continue with the four-week collections due to Covid-19, although they ‘would not want to do that’.

She said: “We might have to continue with the four-week collection, we would really not want to do that, because we know people are affected by that.

“But hopefully everyone understands the council wants to prioritise refuse collection for everybody over the garden waste service.

“It’s not to say one’s more important than the other, they’re all important, but we do need to make sure that we look after the refuse collection and recycling service for every resident in Hartlepool.”

She noted the council only has a certain number of drivers to deliver waste collection services, and they must be protected from Covid-19 and ensure social distancing is followed.

She said: “We are prioritising refuse and recycling, we only have a certain number of drivers to deliver those services and we like to make sure our drivers are protected.

“Therefore they’re the only individuals in the cabs of the refuse freighters, because the more people that are in the cabs then obviously we can’t keep the two metre distancing.

“We have vehicles travelling behind for the refuse guys who pick up the bins.”

Last year Hartlepool Borough Council had been due to start emptying residents’ brown bins again from Tuesday April 7 after the winter break, however this was postponed due to Covid-19.

Brown bins are for loose, compostable garden waste, such as grass cuttings, weeds and dead plants, twigs and small branches, hedge clippings, cut flowers and houseplants, shrub prunings, leaves and the contents of hanging baskets.

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