Your Guide to Rubbish Collection and Skip Hire During Lockdown

With the nation under lockdown, many people are finally getting around to those neglected home improvement tasks. Whether you’re clearing out a bedroom or overhauling your garden, these DIY jobs will result in lots of waste being produced which is unhygienic to leave lying around.

In this article, we take you through how to protect your health and the health of others while navigating rubbish handling and collection, as well as skip hire.

Can I hire a skip during lockdown?

As many tips and recycling centres are closed, skip hire is becoming a godsend for many – especially since many skip hire companies are still operating throughout lockdown. Any dealings you have with a skip hire company must be done safely and within government coronavirus guidelines. Here are a few things you can consider when dealing with waste management and collection services of all kinds.

Lockdown tips for safe waste collection and skip hire

Council refuse collectors and some skip hire companies, such as Woodford Recycling, are working as usual amid the COVID-19 situation. While these essential workers put in measures to keep employees and customers alike safe and well, there are also things that homeowners can also do to help.

• Wipe down handles of wheelie bins with soapy water or wipes when leaving them out for collection. This is a simple thing, but can make all the difference to the hygiene of everyone involved. Make sure to do the same when retrieving your bin to protect yourself and your family. And remember, always wash your hands when leaving and entering your home – even if it’s just to put the bins out!
• Check with your local authority or skip hire company of choice to discover how they are operating during this time. This will help you plan out your projects depending on waste collection times and capacity on a case-by-case basis.
• Any personal waste, such as tissues and cleaning cloths, should be treated with extra caution due to higher contamination risks. This sort of waste should be kept in a separate bag for 72 hours before being left out for collection.
• Always adhere to social distancing rules. Waste management and skip hire companies, such as the team here at Woodford Recycling, will be adhering to social distancing guidelines to keep you safe, and they will greatly appreciate customers also complying with these rules. As part of this, please keep at least 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household, including any waste or refuse collectors.
• When paying for your skip, please try and opt for card payments rather than cash. This is to minimise contact with the skip hire employees, and is a generally more hygienic way to pay.

Here at Woodford Recycling, we’re operating business as usual while taking all possible steps to protect our staff and customers during this difficult time. To help your lockdown home improvement projects, we’re providing skips of varying sizes along with other services to customers across Cambridge, Huntingdon and Peterborough. Our phone lines are open 7 days a week to book a skip, and you can also get in touch via email, Facebook or WhatsApp.