Double bag and wait before you bin – take extra measures during Coronavirus

Residents who are self-isolating due to suspected or confirmed Coronavirus (Covid-19) are being asked to double bag their used tissues and cleaning cloths and keep them for at least 72 hours before putting in their external bins for collection.

Public Health England (PHE) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have issued the advice to councils to help reduce the spread Covid-19.

Self-isolating households should securely double bag used personal waste such as tissues, and used cleaning cloths, and keep the bag separately to all other rubbish for three days. These bags should not be opened or tampered with, for example by children or pets. After the 72 hours, residents can place the bags in their external bins for collection. All other household waste can be disposed of as normal.

Those with communal bins should follow the guidance before placing the bags in to the general rubbish bins only, not recycling bins.

Households that present black bags at the kerbside instead of in external bins should follow the guidance, and only put the bags out on their collection day before 7am.

Anyone who receives an assisted collection should place the affected bags inside the bin at their usual collection point on collection day, and not leave the bags to the side of the bins for the crews to pick up.

This advice, along with other guidance on how to manage self-isolation is available from the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection#cleaning-and-disposal-of-waste