How Covid is impacting on council services including bin collection

As supermarket shelves are left empty, another essential service is suffering as Covid cases continue to skyrocket.

Some Sydney residents have called for a reduction in their rates after they were left with overflowing bins as the huge surge in Covid cases crippled council services due to staff shortages.

It’s one part of day-to-day life that has been impacted by the massive jump in cases as supermarket shelves are left empty due to isolating or infected employees, while manufacturing, transport, postal and warehousing sectors have also been hard hit.

Camden Council was one of a number of councils around Sydney that have seen its bin collections impacted by the increasing Omicron infections, as NSW racks up tens of thousands of cases.

“Due to a number of our staff impacted by the recent Covid outbreak, we are currently experiencing some delays in our bin collection service,” Camden Council announced on Facebook.

“We are working hard to pick up all scheduled bins and minimise the impact on our residents. If your bins have not been collected, please leave them out and we will empty them as a priority. We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”

Some residents complained their bins had been skipped, while others couldn't get through on the phone to ensure to arrange for them to be emptied.

“Kind of annoying when it happens right after Christmas as well,” wrote one person.

“We actually got through and had someone come pick up the bin the following day … but didn’t even shake the bin properly and didn’t get the last bag of rubbish out. Super annoying and frustrating especially being a family of 5,” noted another.

“3 weeks in a row 1 of my bins didn’t get picked up till the dam thing was that heavy the next bloke put a red tag on it saying it was too heavy. What a joke,” vented one man.

But many residents were sympathetic to Camden Council’s situation and wished their staff a speedy recovery.

“Totally understand. This is only the start of this virus impacting business. As more people get this virus the more that it will put business behind in there service. Let’s just hope that everyone understands at not take it out on the poor person that has to answer the phone,” commented one person.

The City of Canterbury Bankstown also announced temporary delays to waste collection across the area.

“We’re working hard to empty all bins as scheduled, with red bins being the priority,” they said on Facebook.

“Please continue to put your bins out on their scheduled collection day. We may not pick them up at the usual time, however if they aren’t emptied by 2pm, please report your missed bin.”

One person claimed however it had been an issue all year, while another said the Council needed to do better to entirely empty bins rather than leaving half the rubbish in there.

A City of Canterbury Bankstown spokesperson said like many organisations the council had faced challenges with a number of staff contracting the virus or being a close contact, however contingency plans have been put in place.

“To date, there have been minimal disruptions to our bin collection service, with staff being deployed from other areas, rostering changes and increased working hours,” they noted.

Garbos falling sick or isolating have impacted on bin collections. Picture: News Corp Australia

It’s not just an issue impacting Sydney’s outer suburbs either.

A City of Sydney spokesperson told news.com.au that like many service providers, the council’s cleansing and waste teams have been impacted by the recent surge in Covid-19 case numbers and it was causing some disruptions to their collections.

“We are prioritising red and yellow waste bin collections, and these should be carried out as usual. There will be some delays to bulky pick-up and green waste collections,” they explained.

“We are asking residents to leave their booked items and green waste bins out and we will collect them as soon as possible.”

Councils are struggling to collect bins with staff shortages caused by Covid. Picture: Supplied

Many councils have experienced delays. Picture: News Corp Australia

Inner West Council announced it was also experiencing staffing shortages due to the current Covid-19 situation.

“These shortages are starting to impact on some of our services, including booked bulky waste collections, streetscapes, rangers and customer service,” it said on Facebook.

“These services are still being delivered – but there may be some small delays. And please note, regular waste collections (red, yellow and green bins) are not affected and are still running as normal.”

Many residents were sympathetic to the situation. Picture: News Corp Australia

But some residents weren’t happy, claiming services had already been impacted prior to the Omricon surge.

“Considering it took several weeks including filling in the missed pick up web form and a call to support to get our booked clean-up collected in November … I’m not sure we would notice much difference. But I hope that all those Covid + and in ISO are doing ok,” one person said.

Others only had praise for council workers.

“The staff at Leichhardt Aquatic Centre have been going above and beyond for us. Please thank them too,” one woman wrote.

We're experiencing staffing shortages due to the current #COVID19 situation.

These shortages are starting to impact on some of our services, including booked bulky waste collections, streetscapes, rangers and customer service.

Read more: https://t.co/5MVjuiTtVK

— Inner West Council (@IWCouncil) January 11, 2022

A spokesperson for Inner West Council said there has been some minimal service disruptions caused by staff shortages.

“All services are currently being delivered, however there may be some small delays,” they said.

Meanwhile, the City of Parramatta domestic waste service experienced a minor interruption last week when the collection of recyclables and green waste was delayed by one day due to council’s waste contractor experiencing staff shortages, a spokesperson said.

“City of Parramatta Council is committed to delivering essential services, such as waste collection, to the community despite the ongoing challenges caused by the pandemic,” the said.

“To help manage staff shortages and other impacts, it is redirecting resources where possible to help ensure services continue uninterrupted. Council’s dedicated staff, in particular its frontline workers, are working hard to deliver services in exceptional circumstances.”

Originally published as How Covid is impacting on council services including bin collection