Spare a thought for our hard-working waste collection crews this summer

By Press Release Aug 3, 2021

As the Island basked in the hottest weather of the year in recent weeks, please spare a thought for the hard-working recycling and waste collection crews and workers at Forest Park and the recycling centres who must soldier on through the heat.

Being responsible for the Island’s sanitation definitely comes at a cost. Bin collectors are exposed to physically intensive lifting as well as unbearable smells when a heatwave happens.

Amey, the council’s waste contractor, is making sure there are plenty of chilled water bottles and even ice lollies on hand to keep their teams as cool as possible through the extreme heat, but please be understanding if your waste collection is delayed as crews pace themselves and take the time they need to stay hydrated.

Natasha Dix, the council’s strategic manager for waste, said: “Collecting residents’ waste and recycling is a physically demanding job — and even more so in heatwave conditions.

“As a responsible employer, Amey is supporting its staff through these challenging conditions and we hope that residents will understand, as I’m sure they do, if their bins are collected a little later than usual.

“We are immensely proud of the professionalism and commitment demonstrated by our staff throughout the heatwave and wish to thank them publicly for the work they do to help keep our beautiful Island tidy.”