Green bin garden waste collections will be suspended by South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) from next Monday (30 March).
The move has been announced to ensure that the council can target its resources on maintaining grey bin and recycling collections during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
An SLDC spokesperson said: “We are having to adjust and revise our operations to meet the demands of responding to the Coronavirus outbreak and to ensure we can continue to deliver the most essential services relied on by our communities.
“That has meant looking carefully at the way we manage our waste and recycling collections within available resources and how we can best protect our residents and our staff, including ensuring our collection crews can work while observing social distancing guidelines.
“Our priority will always be to collect non-recyclable (grey bin) waste, but that means other collections may need to be temporarily suspended.’’
Councillor Eric Morrell, SLDC portfolio holder for Customer and Commercial Services and People, said: “We recognise this isn’t great timing for the many gardeners out there, who will be using this time following the government ‘stay at home’ advice to take advantage of the decent weather to get out into their gardens for some fresh air and exercise.
“But we are asking residents for their support and understanding in these unprecedented times. Our teams are out there every day working hard to maintain your refuse collections and other priority services and we need to target our resources where they are most needed.
“Cumbria County Council has also announced it is closing its Household Waste Recycling Centres to protect residents and staff, so please don’t try taking your garden waste to one of the HWRCs in South Lakeland.
“This may instead be an ideal time to consider starting a compost heap or finding other ways to minimise your green waste. You can find some helpful garden recycling hints at: http://www.recycleforcumbria.org/inthegarden/howcanicompost.asp’’
The SLDC spokesperson continued: “Our crews are also reporting big increases in grey bin waste being left out, as people are understandably using their time at home to have a sort out.
“We would ask residents to recognise that leaving out lots of excess waste means our wagons fill up very quickly and rounds can sometimes not be completed, so we may pick up your waste but someone at the end of the round may get missed.
“We are requesting that everyone thinks about what they are throwing away at this time and not to leave out side waste next to your grey bin – that way we have the best chance to ensure we can continue to collect everyone’s bins. If you are having a clear out, please consider others and where possible store any excess waste until such time as the HWRCs re-open or our collections get back to normal.
“We are also reminding people not to be tempted to fly-tip their general or garden waste. Remember it is a criminal offence for which you could be prosecuted.’’
