Recycling and waste services in Dacorum may be impacted due to coronavirus outbreak

Residents are being advised that some recycling and waste services in Dacorum may be impacted due to the coronavirus outbreak and potential increases in staff sickness levels.

All kerbside collections are continuing as normal - collection of grey bins, blue-lidded bins and food waste recycling will be prioritised.

All Hertfordshire County Council Household Waste Recycling Centres are currently closed until further notice.

Dacorum Borough Council is working hard to minimise the impact on recycling and waste collections and are asking residents to understanding if services do change.

The council is asking residents to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and protect it's workers by washing your hands before putting your waste and recycling out, and disinfecting your bin handles before and after collections.

If your bin has been missed, but your neighbours' bins were emptied, please report your missed bin collection online in the normal way. Keep your bins on the boundary of your property until they are emptied.

If yours and your neighbours' bins have all been missed, and it is past 3pm on your normal collection day, it is likely that the collection vehicle experienced an issue due to another vehicle blocking access and you do not need to report this on the council website.

The crews will come back and try again - keep your bins out on your boundary until they are emptied. Missed bins may also be collected on a Saturday.

If you are still experiencing collection issues despite following the above advice, you can email [email protected].

Any individuals asked to self-isolate, either as a precaution or because they are confirmed to have coronavirus, should follow this advice to get rid of their household waste to ensure the virus is not spread via personal waste:

- All personal waste, such as used tissues and disposable cleaning cloths, should be placed securely in a plastic bag or bin liner.

- This plastic bag should then be placed in another plastic bag and securely tied.

- These bags must be stored separately to other waste for at least 72 hours before being placed in the general rubbish collection.

After 72 hours outside the body the virus is no longer viable and the double-bagged waste can be put in the general rubbish collection as normal. Only waste that is heavily contaminated, such as tissues that have been coughed into and disposable cleaning cloths, need to be treated in this way. Regular household recycling and waste should be treated as normal.

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