Guidance

Waste collection services: guidance for local authorities

Published 23 July 2021

Applies to England

1. How to prioritise waste collection services

This is non-statutory guidance to help local authorities and other waste collectors in England prioritise waste collection services if there is unexpected pressure on resources. The guidance explains which collections are high and low priority and offers advice on how to mitigate reduced or stopped services.

The first duty of any local authority is to protect the health of staff and residents. Many local authorities already have contingency plans which should be taken into account in service planning.

Any prioritisation of waste collection services must be temporary. Some of the recommendations in this guidance may not be appropriate for all local authorities. Local authorities should maintain services as much as possible to prevent any build-up of waste that could be harmful to public health.

1.1 Maintain residual waste (black bag) collections

You must maintain collections of residual (black bag) waste to:

• prevent waste from building up
• protect public health and the local area

1.2 Aim to maintain food waste and dry recyclables collections

You should maintain separate collections of food waste and dry recyclable materials, if you can.

If resource or staff availability is severely pressured, you may need to change or close services temporarily. You must consider your statutory duties if you do this.

1.3 Communicate to residents

It is your responsibility to tell residents clearly how and when waste collection services are changing. This includes changes in days and how often waste will be collected. It is essential that you give residents as much advanced warning as possible. Make it clear that changes are to prioritise public health.

1.4 Allocate staff to waste services

Consider reallocating appropriate staff from other parts of the local authority or waste collection company to maintain minimum statutory services. Consider if you can pool resources with other authorities, contract agency staff or get support from commercial waste operators.

2. Key to prioritisation

High priority – These services are the most important and should continue as normal. Residents are most likely to rely on these high priority services. These services are either:

• a legal requirement
• likely to severely impact environmental or human health, if they’re suspended completely

Medium priority – These services are important, although residents are less reliant on them. If these services stop there will be some disruption, but the impact will not be as severe and there will be less risk to human health than suspending a high priority service.

Low priority – There will be minimal or no disruption if these services are suspended. There will also be minimal or no risk to human health.

3. Residual (‘black bag’) refuse collection

Priority: High

Action: Maintain.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

Putrescible waste could build up and become a risk to human health.

Mitigation

If waste is bagged (rather than in containers) you need to maintain regular collections.

Reallocate staff from other services, if you can.

Send residents clear information on how their waste collection services will change - this includes when to put out bags or containers.

If you have separate food waste collections, review how often food waste is collected to maintain a reasonable service.

Rationale

This service must be maintained by local authorities by law (Environmental Protection Act 1990). Putrescible and high-volume composite and non-recyclable waste is a storage and health risk.

If refuse is not collected complaints from residents could increase.

4. Food waste

Priority: High

Action: Maintain.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

There is a bioaerosol risk if food is left for several weeks.

If separate food waste collection is stopped this may impact waste companies that provide anaerobic digestion and energy production services. Short term changes should be discussed with treatment service providers.

Mitigation

If food waste is collected weekly, you should maintain these services as best as possible so that putrescible waste is removed frequently.

Mixed food and garden waste collections need to continue as normal to prevent build up.

Reallocate staff from other collections to help with food waste collections.

As a last resort it may be necessary to stop separate food waste collections temporarily. You should ask residents to put food waste in the same container as their residual (black bag) waste and tell them you will not collect garden waste.

Send residents clear information on how their waste collection services will change.

Rationale

It is easier to maintain food waste collections than other services because crew numbers per vehicle are lower.

If food waste collections are temporarily stopped, it could make it harder for residents to get back into the habit of separating food waste when the service restarts. So, maintain the service if you can.

5. Dry recyclables (fortnightly)

Priority: Medium

Action: Maintain.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

If recyclable material builds up at households, more dry recyclables could end up in residual (black bag) waste. This could increase disposal costs. If collections are interrupted for a significant length of time, it may take residents time to get into the habit of separating recycling for waste collection.

Mitigation

Consider changing the frequency of collections, rather than stopping collections altogether.

Send residents clear information on how recycling services are changing - this includes any need to temporarily store recyclable materials at home.

Develop a contingency plan and public communications strategy for restarting the service, if you stop it.

Rationale

There is a low risk to health.

Local authorities must collect waste paper, metal, plastic and glass by separate collection, except when:

• a sufficiently high quality of recyclate is not needed
• it is not technically, environmentally or economically realistic

This applies to all households, including flats and multi-occupancy accommodation.  

6. Dry recyclables (weekly)

Priority: Low

Action: Consider changing the collection to fortnightly.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

Recyclables at households could build up.

There could be gaps in the supply of recyclates to reprocessors.

Mitigation

Consider changing how often you collect dry recyclables. For example, you could temporarily change collections from weekly to fortnightly.

Rationale

There is a low risk to health.

Local authorities must collect waste paper, metal, plastic and glass by separate collection, except when:

• a sufficiently high quality of recyclate is not needed
• it is not technically, environmentally or economically realistic

This applies to all households, including flats and multi-occupancy accommodation.  

7. Garden waste

Priority: Low

Action: Review how often you collect garden waste and consider temporarily stopping it.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

There is a bioaerosol risk if garden waste is not collected within 2 weeks.

If services are stopped, you may need to consider whether to reimburse customers for the break in service.

Mitigation

Send residents clear information if you plan to stop the service temporarily.

Send information on home composting as an alternative for garden waste.

Rationale

It is better to stop garden waste collection services for a short term, so that you can prioritise food waste collections.

8. Household waste recycling centres (HWRCs)

Priority: Medium

Action: Make sure you have enough staff working at the HWRC site for health, safety and security reasons - this should follow your own health and safety risk assessment.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

Fly-tipping could increase, especially if other collections fail.

Some residents who use HWRCs may not have capacity to store waste at home indefinitely.

Mitigation

Consider whether priority HWRC sites can be maintained with restricted access.

Consider maintaining some places for specific groups that have difficulty or are unable to store waste in short term or commercial and industrial waste disposal.

Temporary reductions in HWRC services should be reviewed frequently.

Rationale

Some journeys to HWRCs may be needed to avoid rubbish building up and creating a public health risk.

Local authorities must provide places for residents to deposit their household waste at all reasonable times.

9. Bring sites

Priority: Low to medium

Action: Maintain (if possible).

Risks if service reduced or stopped

If other services are reduced then bring sites could be used more than usual. This could lead to a build-up of recycling materials and other waste outside the bring site containers.

Depending on the waste that builds up, there could be a health risk.

Mitigation

Send clear information about responsible waste disposal and duty of care to residents and other users of bring sites.

You could ask staff from other services to help maintain the bring site, if they have capacity.

Rationale

It is a low risk, but could cause a health and safety risk.

10. Fly-tipping

Priority: High

Action: Maintain (prioritise what you clear based on your own risk assessment).

Risks if service reduced or stopped

Increased household waste fly-tipping may cause public health concerns.

Mitigation

Send residents clear information on:

• duty of care and penalties for fly-tipping
• using registered carriers to avoid waste crime and risk of fly-tipping

Focus available resources on known hotspots and prioritise fly-tipped putrescible waste collection.

Rationale

Fly-tipping may increase if HWRC services are reduced or closed.

As a local authority, you must keep land and highways clear of litter and refuse as much as is practically possible.

11. Trade waste collections

Priority: Medium

Action: Review schedule and provide reduced frequency service to low volume, low risk customers. Promote local subcontractors.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

There could be a build up of putrescible and general waste.

Mitigation

Identify and prioritise sectors that need a maintained collection (such as care homes).

Let businesses know how often and when you’ll collect waste.

Promote local subcontractors and sub-contract to the private sector, if you need to.

Rationale

Need to control build up of commercial waste.

12. Care homes

Priority: High

Action: Maintain.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

If healthcare or clinical waste builds up at care homes, this can cause a risk of infection to residents and care workers.

Mitigation

Prioritise care home waste collections.

Sub-contract to clinical waste specialists, if needed.

Rationale

Clinical waste needs to be managed to prevent infections.

Public Health England (PHE) guidelines should be followed if you manage potentially contaminated waste.

13. Dedicated Clinical or Absorbent Hygiene Product (AHP) waste collections from residents

Priority: High

Action: Maintain.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

This could negatively impact the local area and result in a risk of infection from uncollected clinical or AHP waste.

Mitigation

Sub-contract to specialists, if needed.

Rationale

You need to manage clinical and AHP waste to prevent infections and to protect public and environmental health. Follow PHE guidelines when you manage potentially contaminated waste.

14. Assisted collections

Priority: High

Action: Maintain.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

Vulnerable residents may be unable to put out waste for collection, so waste could build up at vulnerable residents’ homes.

Mitigation

Assisted collections must be maintained. As a minimum, make sure that putrescible waste is collected.

Rationale

Vulnerable residents may not be able to dispose of their waste in another way.

15. Bulky items (furniture, fridges)

Priority: Low

Action: Consider promoting or using private contractors, or temporarily stopping the service.

Risks if service reduced or stopped

Some residents may not have capacity to store waste at home indefinitely.

There could be increased levels of fly-tipping.

Mitigation

Send residents clear information on:

• any changes to the schedule and alternate services
• duty of care and penalties for fly-tipping
• using registered carriers to avoid waste crime and risk of fly-tipping

Rationale

Households could store items in the short term.

16. Deliveries of replacement containers

Priority: Low

Action: Prioritise containers for putrescible waste (such as residual and food waste).

Risks if service reduced or stopped

If there are not enough containers for putrescible waste, there will be an increased public health risk. For example, the waste could attract pests and bacteria.

Mitigation

Prioritise replacing containers for putrescible waste, such as residual (black bag) and food waste.

Rationale

Containment of putrescible waste reduces the risk to public health.