Residents urged to space wheelie bins apart

Residents putting out their wheelie bins for kerbside collection are being urged to space them well apart so they don’t need to be handled.

“The crews on the kerbside collection trucks are working hard to ensure people’s waste continues to be collected during the COVID-19 lockdown and we want to protect them from any potential risk as much as possible,’’ says Christchurch City Council Resource Recovery Manager Ross Trotter.

“It is important when you are putting your bins out that you space them at least 50cm apart from each other so our truck can reach them. For health and safety reasons, we want to reduce the need for our crews having to move the bins into the correct position.

“If there is a parked car in the way, please place your bins on the road, closest to the kerb, or alternatively place them at the end of your driveway.

“Please also make sure that your bin isn’t overloaded and the lid is shut flat. Our trucks can’t lift or empty bins that are too full,’’ Mr Trotter says.

The kerbside collection service is operating to its usual schedule so residents should put their correct bins out on their normal collection day.

The only exception to that is this Friday, 10 April. As it is Good Friday, bins that are usually emptied on a Friday will be emptied the following day, Saturday 11 April, instead.

For health and safety reasons, we are asking residents where possible to move bins to a clearly visible location so our crews are not having to move bins “