Leeds City Council bin collections: 'Treacherous' conditions affects bin collections as council issues update

The council said the snow and ice which has blighted Yorkshire and the north of England in recent days led to ‘treacherous’ conditions for its bin collection lorries - causing safety issues for its staff.

However, it said refuse collectors have been working hard to clear a backlog, which saw more than 400 tonnes of waste being collected on Monday as staff battled to get the collections back on track.

A council spokesperson said bins should be left out and they will endeavor to collect them over the next week, however if they have not been collected by Sunday (Jan 12) then they should be taken back in off the streets.

They will then be collected at the next scheduled date, the spokesperson said.

An amber weather warning was issued for the whole of Yorkshire on Sunday and into Monday, with several inches of snow being dropped across the region overnight.

The snow and ice caused chaos for the transport system, with flights, trains and major roads all affected and hundreds of schools were closed.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said:“The council is sorry for the disruption to collections caused by the recent snow and ongoing icy conditions and thanks residents for their patience and understanding.

“Collection crews have been out in force since early Monday morning doing all they can to get as many bins emptied as safely possible in very difficult conditions. 429 tonnes of waste was collected by crews from bins across Leeds on Monday.

“The roads have been treacherous for large bin wagons to safely manoeuvre, made more difficult by the increased number of cars parked at road sides as more people stayed at home.

“Challenging levels of snow and ice have continue to make the wheeling of very full bins across pavements and roadside snow accumulations very difficult and often impossible to do so safely.

“The safety of staff, the public, including other road users and public property, will always be a priority. There are therefore a significant number of streets across the city where scheduled collections have not been made.

“The message to households is should your bin not be collected on the scheduled weekday this week you can choose to leave it out and we will do our best to return to empty it this week/weekend.

“However, if your bin has not been emptied by the end of Sunday 12th then it will not be emptied until the next scheduled collection day and so should be taken back in.

“The eight citywide Household Waste and Recycling Centres are open all day (some opening times may be later this week whilst sites are cleared of ice), 7 days a week and where any excess waste can be taken and disposed of for free.

“For those fortnightly green or black bins that were missed on Sunday (5th), as we won’t be returning for them until Sunday (12th) any additional/excess waste can be left for collection next to the bin providing it is securely bagged.”