Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Advice and service updates
The Government has provided guidance on how to dispose of personal waste, like tissues and disposable cleaning cloths, if you have Coronavirus symptoms.
The guidance is for anyone with symptoms, including those diagnosed with the infection who must remain at home until they are well. It also applies to people in households with someone showing symptoms (a new, continuous cough and/or high temperature) that may be caused by coronavirus.
Personal waste, should be stored securely in disposable rubbish bags. These should then be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste within your home. This should be put aside for at least 72 hours before being put in your usual rubbish outside your house, which will be collected as part of the usual fortnightly collections.
Other household waste can be disposed of as normal. Full guidance for people staying at home because of confirmed or possible infection can be found on the Government’s website here the Government’s website here.
Service updates
We are working hard with our contractors and partners, but the Coronavirus will unfortunately have an impact on services as staffing levels are affected. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Garden Waste collections in Sedgemoor and Mendip have been suspended today (19.3.20).
This means no collections in the following areas.
- Sedgemoor: Chilton Polden, Woolavington, Bawdrip Puriton, Cossington, Downend, Mark, Catcott, East Huntspill, Edington, Burtle and Chilton Polden.
- Mendip: Glastonbury, Wick, Meare, West Pennard, Street, Butleigh, Wells, Westbury Sub Mendip, Cheddar, Rodney Stoke and Draycott.
The earliest these collections will be made is the next scheduled collection in two weeks but further disruption is likely. We’re looking at a suitable way of making sure people paying for garden waste collections don’t lose out. We’ll keep you posted.
- Suspended – requests for bins, recycling boxes and food waste caddies. Teams will try to deliver those already ordered, but no new requests will be accepted for the time being.
- Suspended – Bulky waste collections that involve going inside properties. Standard bulky waste collection service continues at present.
- Paused – Slim My Waste, Feed My Face campaign has been paused. This is so support staff are available for priority work. A decision on delivering the campaign to the remaining areas of Sedgemoor and West Somerset will be taken at a later date.
- Staff at recycling centres will no longer be able to help people remove waste from their vehicles – this is in light of the Government guidance around social distancing. Please bear this in mind when using the centres. Each site has allocated a drop-off area for bulky items which members of the public may use if they feel unable to deposit these in recycling bins.
More information on the Somerset Waste Partnership website