Coronavirus - Waste and recycling services

As per government guidance, personal waste (such as used tissues) and disposable cleaning cloths can be stored securely within disposable rubbish bags. These bags should be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste. This should be put aside for at least 72 hours before being put in your usual external household waste bin. Other household waste can be disposed of as normal.

If you have your bin collection this week, please leave it out and we’ll try to collect it over the weekend of 28/29 March. If it hasn't been collected by 30 March, please bring it back in until the next scheduled collection.

From Monday 30 March:

• We’re returning to 4-weekly brown bin collections.  If you have any concerns about excess food waste, please place this in your blue landfill bin.
• We’re temporarily stopping collections of grey paper/cardboard recycling bins. Please store your paper/cardboard recycling until further guidance is given.  To make best use of space in your grey bin please flatten all cardboard boxes.

Please only put out bins for collection that need emptied - more than half full.

Please continue to put your blue, brown or green bin out at 6am on the day the bin is normally collected.  If we’re unable to empty them on your collection day, please leave them out and we’ll try to return and collect them over the following days.  Please don’t put your grey paper bin out as we are not emptying these bins at present.

Please look out for your neighbours and check that they can put their bins out.  It’ll not be possible to come back for missed bins until your next scheduled collection day.

Thank you for your understanding.  We’ve had to make these changes because staff are either self-isolating or unwell. We’re trying to provide the best service we can with what we have.

We’re updating bin calendars to reflect these changes. You can check your bin collection dates here www.fife.gov.uk/bincalendar

All recycling centres are currently closed following the Government announcement that citizens should stay at home.

Bulky waste uplifts are suspended until further notice. We will honour the bookings already made and paid for.

Due to changes in staff, waste and recycling assisted collections may be collected by a different crew and at a different time. Please make sure your containers are easily accessible and visible. We may have to change where we collect and return your bins from and to.

Repair and replacement of bins and uplifts of any unwanted waste containers is suspended. We are prioritising delivery of containers to new build houses and lost or stolen bins.

Fife Council Environmental Health know that you are concerned about disposing of your waste. Your waste contractor is still responsible for collecting your waste, timeously and responsibly. Their Business Continuity Plans will continue to ensure your recycled waste is uplifted, but the COVID-19 pandemic may affect this.

Talk to your waste contractor as soon as you can. Tell them immediately if there are any changes that you need to make, i.e. check for alternate service provision given current system, missed uplifts etc.

If you are going to temporarily close your business, you MUST make sure your commercial waste is disposed of. Empty waste containers must be locked and/or stored in a secure area to stop anyone using them while you are away. You must also tell your waste contractor that you are temporarily closing.

The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 state you must take ‘reasonable steps to promote high quality recycling’. Despite the current pandemic, these regulations remain unchanged see below:

• You cannot mix dry recyclables with any waste which cannot be recycled, nor with any waste which would significantly reduce the quality of the material.
• You cannot mix dry recyclables like paper and plastic with residual waste or ‘wet waste’ (such as food).
• Plastics and metals must be cleaned so that they can be recycled. This is considered to be ‘a reasonable step’.

If you can’t do any of the above because of the current pandemic, you must ensure that you store, transfer, transport and dispose of your waste without harming the environment.

How to reduce your volume of waste

• Cans, plastics and cardboard
  Plastics, cans and cardboard boxes should be crushed to make them smaller.
• Food waste
  If you produce more than five kilograms of food waste per week you have a legal duty to ensure it is collected separately from other waste.

How to dispose of your waste cooking oil

Waste oils produced by you are covered by The Water Environment (Oil Storage) (Scotland) Regulations 2006. This applies to storage, transport, recovery and disposal. Like all waste, it must be collected by a registered waste carrier.

You must make sure your waste oil storage is robust and stable so that it won’t cause pollution. Legally containers should be vandal-proof, stable and safe from flood risk - never pour oil down a drain, sink or into the ground.

Recommendations for management of the above

If you do not have one, create a Waste Management Folder, this should contain:

• details of your waste contractor and uplift days for all waste
• training details including induction pack for new staff
• Waste Transfer Notes (WTN’s)

You need to have a system to internally separate your waste and to make sure all bins are clearly labelled. Internal separation helps minimise contamination of external containers - your waste contractor may refuse to collect contaminated waste.

Further information regarding Waste Duty of Care can be found at this link

Should you have any further questions, our staff will be available to discuss via this email address - DutyOfCare.waste@fife.gov.uk

Useful links

• www.zerowastescotland.org.uk
• www.resourceefficientscotland.com

Click here for more coronavirus information and support for businesses