Waverley's Garden Waste Collection Service has been suspended as crews are hit by Covid-19.

The council says it is experiencing "significant disruption" to services, with staff either off sick or isolating.

Staff still able to work are concentrating on household waste and recycling collections, meaning the Garden Waste Service will be suspended from Monday, 11th January until further notice.

In a statement, the authority said: "We would therefore ask residents whose garden waste is due for collection on or after 11th January not to put their brown bin out until we advise that we are able to re-commence the service. We will, of course, extend the period of a resident's subscription to cover any period of suspension."

Councillor Steve Williams, Waverley's Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, said: "We thank all our residents who are affected for their understanding in this matter. Our bin crews have been doing an amazing job keeping the service running through the Coronavirus pandemic but they are now, like so many others, feeling the effect of rising sickness rates and staff absences.

"Suspending garden waste collections is not a decision taken lightly, but I hope Waverley residents will understand that, as a result of the challenges of the pandemic, we have to prioritise waste and recycling collections." "We are working closely with our contractor, Biffa, to keep this essential service going during the current lockdown, and I'd like to thank the bin crews for doing such an amazing job in these really difficult circumstances. I'd also like to thank residents for their patience and their continued efforts in reducing or reusing waste and composting, as not only does this help our bin crews but also our environment." The council has also issued a reminder that if your refuse or recycling collections are late during the pandemic, you should leave your bins out, as the contractor will return to empty them as soon as possible. If you were planning to put your real Christmas tree out for collection as part of the Garden Waste Collection Service, don't forget you can take it to one of the collection points in Godalming up until January 31st.

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