Household Waste Collection Policy for Southern Buckinghamshire

Where a crew member cannot safely manoeuvre and position a bin onto the vehicle, or where the vehicle cannot lift the bin due to the weight of it, then it will be left un-emptied. A tag will be left on the container explaining and it will be reported using the in-cab PDA system so the council is aware.

By law, all the vehicle bin lifts have a safe working weight limit which crews cannot override. As a guideline, the bin should be easily moved with one hand.

When collecting boxes, bags and sacks the collection crews will assess the weight of the containers. If it is too heavy to carry safely to the vehicle, a sack is likely to split, or the collection crew cannot safely lift it into the vehicle it will not be collected.

Where any container is found to be too heavy, the householder will be required to remove sufficient material from it and dispose of it in a responsible manner.

Once sufficient weight has been removed, the box, bag or sack should be presented on the next scheduled collection date. We will not return to empty the container before the next scheduled collection date.

All crews and contractor staff are trained in manual handling and health and safety. If they feel a bin is unsafe to lift, their decision is final.