GENERAL waste will be collected every two weeks, rather than weekly, due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

From Monday, April 6, waste and recycling pick-ups in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead will move to alternate weekly collections which means black bins will be collected one with blue bins (recycling) being collected the following week.

This is due to staff shortages at Serco, the company that provides waste and recycling services in the Royal Borough, because of ill health or needing to self-isolate during the public health crisis.

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Collection days will remain the same, but residents should put their bins the night before collection day or by 7am on the day as the times may change.

The council said food waste collections will continue to be collected weekly and these alternate weekly collections will remain in place until further notice.

Those in properties where the bins are communal will continue to have all their waste and recycling collected weekly.

Green waste collections will resume.

Residents with DIY waste or bulky items such as furniture are urged to keep hold of it until Stafferton Way Civic Amenity Centre re-opens or when large item collection services resume.

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Cllr Donna Stimson, lead member for waste and recycling said: “This was a very difficult decision to make and we are sorry for any problems it may cause our residents, but we hope that they will understand the reasons for it during these difficult, unprecedented times.

“Due to the speed at which we are having to make decisions we cannot let people know in the normal way about these changes so we are asking that if you see this message you let any neighbours, family or friends who may not have seen it know.

“Thank you so much to our residents for their support during this period. We will work to return our services to normal as soon as possible once the outbreak is over.”

Click the following link to see what you can and can’t recycle: https://www3.rbwm.gov.uk/info/200175/recycling_and_rubbish/47/household_rubbish_collections/2