Driver shortage and self isolation impact bin collections across Bucks, Beds and Herts
All three counties are struggling to stay on schedule with some residents waiting weeks
Last updated 2nd Aug 2021
Authorities in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire are warning residents bin collection issues are likely to continue.
Missed bin collections across the county resulting in flies, rats and maggots have been put down to a lack of drivers – and Covid cases.
Bucks Council said recent “significant disruption” to waste collection was due to a national unavailability of HGV drivers and some crew having to self-isolate – after residents suffering with festering bins branded the service a “disgrace”.
The local authority said other councils were facing the same issues, but that additional drivers were being recruited.
It said around 20 per cent of collections had not been completed and are being carried over or “rescheduled for the next day”.
Furious residents took to social media to vent their frustrations, with many complaining about resulting pests.
“We now have rats and flies, and it has become a health hazard,” said Justin Newns in Rutland Street, High Wycombe.
Bucks Council said to check its website before reporting a missed bin – and to “leave your bin presented and ready for collection” if it was missed.
“Our teams are working really hard to get the service back up and running to full capacity despite the challenges faced by external factors,” said cabinet member Cllr Peter Strachan.
Hertfordshire are also working to fix the schedule with a number of councils having to send office-based supervisors on their lorries or are training existing staff to be drivers.
And one council has even offered existing drivers a £3,000 retention payment to prevent them being poached by other companies.
The increasing pressures on waste services emerged at a meeting of the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership on Monday (July 26).
In Broxbourne, Cllr David Holliday said they were now “really struggling” with staff – pointing to the combination of Covid isolations, staff vacancies and particularly the shortage of LGV drivers:
“We have had supervisors going out and filling the gaps to make sure that the lorries are still manned – and that has given us the benefit of actually still maintaining the services.
“The negative part of it is we have had a quite significant upturn in missed collections because temporary staff aren’t as familiar with some of the nuances of where bins are placed as the regulars are.”
Reporting the same issues in Dacorum Cllr Graham Barrett said personnel and drivers were the biggest challenge, for the same reasons.
He said they had trained four existing members of staff who have now achieved an LGV licence, in addition to the regular pool of drivers.
While Central Bedfordshire Council says some collection will continue to be suspended:
"Following last week's announcement, all kerbside collections of household garden waste across all of Central Bedfordshire are suspended until further notice.
"Unfortunately, we are still experiencing severe staff shortages and need to continue prioritising the more critical collections (black bins, recycling and clinical waste).
"The staff shortages are due to a national shortage of qualified drivers and an increase in staff needing to self-isolate due to COVID-19."
The Council say they will keep this decision under constant review and update residents through its website.