Waste & Recycling Collections Delayed

Due to the adverse weather conditions Cannock Chase Councils’ waste and recycling collections had to be suspended on Monday 11 December 2017.

Following reviews at 7.30 am and 9.30 am on Tuesday 12 December 2017, due to the condition of roads and pathways and to improve the movement of traffic across the District, collections have again been suspended for the day, in line with other Staffordshire Councils.

Residents are asked to leave their bins out as normal, until after collection and ensure their bin lids can be opened easily. Waste and Recycling crews will be working into the weekend to catch up, starting with Monday’s collections. 

The Council would like to thank its residents for their patience and all their support at this time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Council sometimes suspend waste and recycling collections during snowy weather?

The Council does its best to continue its waste and recycling collections throughout the year but occasionally there are times when they have to be suspended due to the weather and roadside conditions.  The decision to suspend collections is not taken lightly as we are aware it can have a massive impact upon our residents and disposal points. The decision is made jointly between the Councils waste management section and its collection contractor, based on a series of ongoing risk assessments.   

The main reasons for suspending collections are given below:

• Increased risk of serious injury to refuse crews  

  • Moving heavy bins off uneven and slippery surfaces 

  • Slips, trips or falls near moving vehicles  

  • Machinery failure due to cold weather

  • Greater impact of continual manoeuvring of heavy bins on loaders     

• Refuse vehicles operations increasing congestion on roads when driving conditions are poor

  • We are aware of how frustrating it can be to get stuck behind a refuse vehicle, collection bins, on a normal day. We are also aware that during poor driving conditions such as snow and ice it can become far more difficult to manoeuvre your vehicle around a slow moving operational refuse vehicle. This increases the risk of a serious road traffic collision so by suspending collections in particularly poor conditions, the risk negated.  

• Increased risk of refuse vehicles losing control and hitting other vehicles, property or people

  • Refuse vehicles are over ten times heavier than the average car and have a massive potential to cause damage to property or loss of life if the driver loses control on snow or ice.  Due to their size, nature of load and weight they are also more likely to lose traction in icy conditions. 

• High number of frozen bins

  • During particularly snowy and icy weather bin lids and their contents become frozen to the body of the bin and waste and recycling often will not come out, even when additional efforts are made by our collection crews’ using the bin lifts.   

• Difficulty accessing estates and side roads

  • Often initially during severe snow and icy conditions estate and side roads, especially those on hills/slopes, can become blocked by cars parked on roads rather than driveways or even just the volume of snow.  

  • There is an increase in the number of temporarily abandoned vehicles on main and side roads that can make access impossible at times for our refuse larger vehicles with their wider turning circles.  

  • Refuse vehicle drivers must be sure that can get their vehicle out of any cul-de-sac they enter without damaging another vehicle, property or person. To add to this because of the nature of many of our cul-de-sacs, our refuse drivers have to reverse into them, as there is no room at the bottom for them to turn around.