Important notice: Frozen solid! Suspension of garden waste service

The garden waste collection service for Welwyn Hatfield was suspended on Thursday 13 December due to difficult conditions.

The spell of cold weather experienced in the week caused garden waste in the brown wheelie bins to freeze making it difficult for it to be removed without considerable effort.

Durk Reyner, Head of Client Services said: “During Wednesday and Thursday we were unable to empty many of the bins presented at the kerbside. This meant that we were unable to complete the rounds and ensure everyone’s collection occurs.

“The council and its service partner Serco gave considerable thought to whether to suspend the service, but due to the conditions we were unable to conduct this service in a safe and timely manner. We had staff out there trying to remove the waste with their hands – a situation which is not ideal and could result in injury.”

Refuse and recycling services from time to time are cancelled due to weather conditions which prove dangerous. An example of this is snow or icy conditions on the roads or when the collection of waste proves difficult such as what was experienced during this week.

In the meantime, we encourage resident during this cold spell not to compress the garden waste into the brown bins so that more can be squeezed in. This will help prevent the material from freezing and more likely to be dislodged and emptied.

This service has now resumed, if your collection was missed on Thursday 13 December please call the Contact Centre on 01707 357000 to find out when the recycling crew is expected to visit your area and collect your garden waste.