Bristol green bin collections stopped due to driver shortage

Garden waste bin collections are being suspended across an entire city for 10 weeks because of a shortage of drivers.

Bristol Waste Company said a national driver shortage along with Covid-19 meant it was "operating with a significant reduction in drivers".

The firm said it has had to stop garden waste collections to focus on essential waste and recycling services.

Discounts and refunds are being made available to people who subscribe to the garden waste service.

The company said it was doing everything it could to "minimise disruption to collections" and thanked customers for their "patience and understanding".

"We're working hard to continue to deliver essential waste and recycling collections for the city," a spokesperson said.

"We're working additional hours, moving drivers from other areas of the business to work on collections, and redeploying office staff to support the frontline.

"Unfortunately, despite these efforts, we have not been able to make every scheduled collection on time."

Along with suspending green waste collections for 10 weeks, the firm said it would not be able to "return for missed garden waste collections".

It said it was "working on an interim solution" but was encouraging customers to "compost their garden waste at home" in the meantime.

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