BRISTOL Waste is appealing for help and understanding from the public as it tackles staff shortages during a very hot summer.
The company, which is owned by Bristol City Council, has adapted operations to keep teams safe from dangerous heat, causing “unavoidable delays” to collections.
When temperatures are forecast to reach 25 degrees or above, crews start and finish earlier than usual, meaning some bin collections have to be made on different days. Garden waste collections were paused for two weeks last month so crews could be redeployed.
Bristol Waste has also launched a recruitment drive, seeking driver loaders with an annual salary of £37,000
A spokesperson said: “We appreciate residents’ patience as our crews work hard to catch up following the recent extreme ‘red weather’ conditions.
“Our recovery efforts are facing an additional hurdle as, like many others in the sector, we are also facing a significant shortage of drivers for the collection vehicles.”
The spokesperson added: “Our crews make 23 million collections each year in all weathers, walking around 30,000 steps a day. We are incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received from our community, appreciative messages, and kind offers of cold drinks during the heatwave.
“While we navigate our current staffing shortages and service pressures, you can make a massive difference: Wash and squash cans and plastic bottles, fold or cut up cardboard, and sort recycling correctly. This not only creates more space in your recycling bags and boxes, it also allows our hardworking crews to complete more collections, faster.”
Garden waste collections were paused from Monday, July 6 until Friday, July 17. Residents who pay for garden waste will have their subscription extended to make up for the gap in service.
A list of rescheduled recycling collections can be found on Bristol Waste’s website.