Recycling and Waste Updates
Updates to recycling and waste services relating to Coronavirus (COVID 19)
As part of our response to COVID-19, there may be some disruption and delay to waste/recycling collection services.
We have been actively training staff from other areas within the council to support the bin collection teams. An additional 45 staff have been through all of the mandatory safety training for operating our vehicles and are ready to help deliver this key service.
Grey bin collections - continue
Blue bin (recycling) - continue
Brown bin collections - continue
The use of face coverings and gloves may remain part of daily life for a little while. Any disposable protective equipment (face coverings, gloves etc) used outside a medical setting should please be discarded with the general rubbish and not placed in the recycling. These items are not recyclable and it is impossible to tell whether they are infected or not once they appear at recycling facilities - causing unnecessary alarm. Personal waste such as used tissues, masks, wipes and disposable cleaning cloths can be stored securely within disposable rubbish bags. These bags should be placed into another (second) 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. When cleaning you should use your usual household products, like detergents, as these will be very effective at getting rid of the virus on surfaces. Clean frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, handrails, remote controls and table tops. This is particularly important if you have an older or vulnerable person in the house.
Recycling Centres in West Lothian will re-open from the 1 June 2020 in line with Scottish Government guidance. All 5 Recycling Centres will be open 7 days a week, 10am - 6pm (last entry 5.45pm).
They are likely to be extremely busy, so please only visit if you cannot store your waste safely at home for a bit longer.
When you arrive you will see some changes to how the centres normally look. Please see the Community Recycling Centres page for more information and familiarise yourself with the following site rules and the FAQs before visiting, so you know what to expect.
Recycling Centre Site Rules:
The way the sites work has changed to protect residents & staff,
o Stay in your vehicle until allocated a parking bay
o Each bay gives access to one bagged waste and one bulky waste skip
o Ensure you stay 2m apart when you exit your car
o Do not leave your parking bay, the rest of the site is currently closed
o Staff cannot provide any physical assistance
o Abuse towards our staff will not be not tolerated
o Please be patient, we may need to close for servicing
o No gas bottles, tyres, liquids or asbestos can be accepted at this time
You will also have access to dispose of garden waste and electrical items, however if you have garden waste to dispose of please consider using a compost bin or creating a compost pile yourself. Further information on this can be found by visiting Waste Can Wait - Home Composting.
We understand your frustration with the longer queues and operational changes at our centres however please avoid calling us about this. We urgently need to free up phone lines to support the many vulnerable people in our community. Your understanding is appreciated.
Householders should be suspicious of people or businesses offering unrealistically cheap waste services. This may be a sign that the waste is not being legally managed.
Householders must:
Ensure that any waste that you produce is handled and stored safely, without causing harm to the environment and in accordance with the law.
Ensure that any household waste produced on your property is only transferred to a carrier that is appropriately registered with SEPA.
It is your responsibility to ensure that any waste produced on your property is only taken by someone who is authorised to carry your waste. In order to do this you should ask that person/company if they are a registered waste carrier. You should confirm their registration is valid by checking the SEPA public register.
Only after you have confirmed this proof and checked what their plans are for the recycling or disposal of waste, should you give your waste to them.
For waste produced on your property, you have a responsibility to make reasonable checks to ensure that the waste will be carried by appropriately registered people. If you have not made reasonable checks to ensure that waste produced on your property is carried by appropriately registered people and that waste is subsequently found to have been fly-tipped you may share liability with the fly-tipper and be subject to enforcement action.
Bulky uplift collections resumed on 22 April 2020.
You can book your uplift using our Bulky Uplift Online Booking form.
Applications and assessments for additional red top bins are being carried out by phone. Applications and assessments for the take out service are being carried out by phone.
Whilst this is the case at the moment, please understand that we may need to suspend this service at short notice depending on the availability of bins and staff.
Due to changes in staff, your waste/recycling may be collected by a different crew and at a different time.
Ensure your containers are easily accessible and visible.
In person events, talks and activities are currently suspended however lending equipment is available to borrow, we would however request that equipment is disinfected before and after use. Please contact the Waste Education & Engagement team using our Online Waste Education Request Form should you wish to discuss further.
As more people will be working from home, please consider where you park on your bin collection day.
Always park more than 10m (32ft) from a junction, and close to the kerb with wing mirrors folded in. This will allow us to safely access bins.
In flatted properties and those with communal bins it is even more important to allow clear access to bin stores and the dropped kerbs which enable the crews to collect your bins.
Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of rubbish or waste on land not meant for that purpose. Our Community Safety Team is responsible for dealing with reports of fly tipping. Our officers can issue a fixed penalty notice of £200 and can arrange for the rubbish to be removed. More serious offences can be prosecuted through the courts with fines of up to £40,000 and a prison sentence.
Updates on collections can be found on the Bin Collection Daily Updates page. General information about recycling and waste can be found on the Recycling and Waste web page.
West Lothian residents are being asked not put out any extra waste out with their bins as we cannot collect it.
Residents are reminded that we are unable to safely lift any bags/loose material at the side of your bin, as this could contain material which is hazardous to our staff, such as broken glass.
We therefore kindly ask that you ensure all material is in the bin with the lid fully closed, and that you store any additional waste safely within your property until it can be placed in the bin.
Resources have been prioritised to ensure we are one of only a few councils in Scotland who still provide a full bin collection service to over 80,000 properties every week.
We appreciate that with more people in their homes, it can be tempting to spring clean or decorate your house. If you do this, please be prepared to keep any extra waste that is not able to go in your bins as we will not be able to remove anything left at the side of your bin.
West Lothian residents are thanked for their support while our staff make every effort to ensure a full bin collection service is maintained during this challenging period.
Householders should be suspicious of people or businesses offering unrealistically cheap waste services. This may be a sign that the waste is not being legally managed.
Householders must:
Ensure that any waste that you produce is handled and stored safely, without causing harm to the environment and in accordance with the law.
- Ensure that any household waste produced on your property is only transferred to a carrier that is appropriately registered with SEPA.
It is your responsibility to ensure that any waste produced on your property is only taken by someone who is authorised to carry your waste. In order to do this you should ask that person/company if they are a registered waste carrier. You should confirm their registration is valid by checking the SEPA public register.
Only after you have confirmed this proof and checked what their plans are for the recycling or disposal of waste, should you give your waste to them.
For waste produced on your property, you have a responsibility to make reasonable checks to ensure that the waste will be carried by appropriately registered people. If you have not made reasonable checks to ensure that waste produced on your property is carried by appropriately registered people and that waste is subsequently found to have been fly-tipped you may share liability with the fly-tipper and be subject to enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions - COVID-19
Kerbside Collections
No. This would create a health and safety issue as side waste may contain glass, needles or sharp materials (metal tins for example). Waste Collection Operatives are supplied with safety gloves but these don't protect staff from all potential injuries.
No. Only Waste Collection Operatives with the relevant health and safety training can access refuse collection vehicles.
This is only because they have suspended brown, blue and maroon bin collections. West Lothian Council have maintained a full service.
No. Repeat emptying of bins takes time meaning routes would not be finished. The bin lorry would also fill more quickly resulting in extra trips to empty it, so taking further time. We are still providing a full service so the advice is to make sure all recyclable materials are separated from general waste to minimise usage in the grey bins.
Waste Services, like many other Council Services, have seen a reduction in staff numbers due to COVID-19. To provide one additional refuse collection, for example to increase the uplifts to weekly instead of fortnightly, it would require 24 extra Waste Collection Operatives at a time when resources are very limited.
We kindly ask that you store any additional waste safely within your property until it can be placed in the bin.
We are still providing a collection service for food waste which can be placed in the brown bins (or grey bin if you don't have a brown bin). If food waste is not collected regularly it can smell and may attract flies. We would therefore encourage residents to recycle their food waste appropriately to reduce this risk. We would also advise residents to wash and squash their recycling so more recycling can be stored within the blue bins without causing any risk. Most additional waste can be stored safely within your property until it can be placed in the bin.
We have introduced measures to safeguard our workforce through social distancing. Similar to other professions, such as police, ambulance etc, we're doing all we can to minimise the risk to our staff. To provide additional space between crew members in the cab, the third crew member is now travelling in a second vehicle behind the waste collection vehicles. Crew members are also keeping the advised distance when collecting the bins and during staff breaks.
Waste Services, like many other Council Services, have seen a reduction in staff numbers due to COVID-19 but that does not equate to 'a shortage' overall as staff have been redeployed from other areas and this has allowed us to continue providing essential services.
To limit the spread of the disease it is important that individuals self-isolate if they, or their family, have symptoms, or if they are vulnerable. This has resulted in a significant absence from work. The staff redeployed from the recycling centres and other service areas have therefore only replaced the absent Waste Collection Operatives rather than providing additional resources.
Waste Services, like many other Council Services, have seen a reduction in numbers of staff due to COVID-19.
To limit the spread of the disease it is important that individuals self-isolate if they, or their family, have symptoms, or if they are vulnerable. This has resulted in a significant absence from work. This means that the resources currently available are only able to maintain current essential kerbside collection services rather than provide additional services.
To provide one additional refuse collection, for example to increase the uplifts to weekly instead of fortnightly, it would require 24 extra Waste Collection Operatives at a time when resources are very limited.
Community Recycling Centres
From Monday 1 June 2020, every site in West Lothian will be open from 10am - 6pm (last entry 5.45pm), 7 days a week.
You may have to queue before getting access to the site. Once on site staff will direct you to a bay. Please stay in your car with the windows closed until you are in your bay. Once parked you will have access to two skips, one for bagged waste, one for bulky waste and an area to dispose of some electrical equipment.
Bagged waste and bulky items and some electrical items such as fridges/freezers, hoovers, and washing machines, please visit the Community Recycling Centres page for information on what can currently be accepted at the CRCs. Please only bring items that cannot be safely stored at home. The CRCs will be extremely busy in the first few weeks and we would like to ensure that everyone who needs to dispose of waste that is unsafe to store at home is able to access the sites.
You will have access to two skips on site, one for bagged waste and one for all other bulky waste. There will also be an area for electrical items.
Bagged waste is normal landfill waste from your household bin that you would usually put in your grey bin.
No - due to social distancing our staff are unable to help you lift waste from your car to the skip. If you require assistance please bring someone from your own household with you.
If you need to bring your children with you, they must stay inside the car at all times, children under the age of 16 are not permitted to leave the car whilst on site.
We can't accept liquids or gas bottles at this time, please keep these until we are able to accept them for recycling again.
Due to the way in which these items are disposed of/recycled we cannot accept them in either of the two designated skips. These items would have to be collected separately which we cannot arrange safely while ensuring social distancing on site at the moment.
You can visit the recycling centre as often as you like but please only bring rubbish that it is not safe to store at home, and be aware that it is likely you will have to queue each time you visit.
No.
To ensure social distancing can be adhered to while you are on site.
Yes - we are expecting queues initially therefore please do not visit the recycling centre unless it is essential (such as it would be unsafe to continue to store the waste at your home). Please be courteous and patient with staff and other road users when accessing the sites.
Not at the moment. You will only have access to 2 skips on site to ensure social distancing is adhered to. Please do not bring items that can be safely stored at home such as clothes, books and DVDs.
However, the charities that collect clothing have advised that clothing banks at bring sites are now being collected therefore clothes can now be taken to your local clothing bank location (not available at recycling centres).
The waste is usually separated to ensure it can be readily recycled. We have changed the way the site works to protect residents and staff. Our contractor will recover as much material as possible from the bulky waste for recycling.
Yes, for further information please see Levenseat Recycling Facility.
