Covid: Torbay bin collection delays due to self-isolating staff

The council said at the start of the week 39 waste and recycling collection rounds were delayed

Unvaccinated staff having to self-isolate is "the biggest problem" facing a council as it deals with an "unprecedented" bin collection backlog.

At the start of the week, Torbay Council and its waste collection company SWISCo were 39 rounds behind - the backlog has since reduced to 31.

Councillor Mike Morey told Torbay cabinet more than 20 front-line staff were off sick or self-isolating.

He hoped the situation would improve by Monday.

Mr Morey, the council's cabinet member for infrastructure, environment and culture, said: "Our biggest problem is unvaccinated staff who, if they come into contact with Covid, have to isolate for 10 days which is, unfortunately, happening a lot.

"Unfortunately, because of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, because it's spreading so quickly, the service is now experiencing an unprecedented situation like other parts of the country."

He said collections would continue throughout the week and some weekend crews would also be out, "which should see us in a much better position by next Monday".

Mr Morey added the rubbish and recycling at properties where collections had fallen most behind would be collected in one vehicle but that none of the collected recycling would be sent to landfill. 

Normally, 19 collection rounds are completed every day, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In Torbay, 86% of people aged 12 or above have had one dose of a Covid vaccine, while 80% have received two and 64% have had boosters.

The figures are slightly behind the national average of 91, 83 and 64% respectively.

The infection rate in the Bay is above the England average at 1,078 per 100,000 of the population, compared to 985 nationally.