Reduced availability of staff due to Covid-related and other absences means it will not be possible to complete all 150,000 bin collections planned across West Lothian this week.
Additional staff are being redeployed from other council teams, with refresher training being given to those who helped maintain collections in Spring 2020.
For hygiene reasons, brown and grey bin collections are being prioritised over blue bins, with residents encouraged to store excess clean recycling in their homes or outbuildings where possible until it can be collected.
No scheduled blue bin collections will be made today (Tuesday 20 July) to allow available staff to focus on brown and grey bins. Every effort will be made to empty blue bins where resources allow, and we will provide an update regarding any outstanding blue bin collections later in the week.
A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: "Local residents are thanked for their patience while we make every effort to ensure brown and grey bins are collected.
"The high levels of absence currently in our waste team due to a wide range of factors, including Covid-related issues not connected to their work, means we do not currently have the resources to complete all planned collections.
"In the current warm condition, prioritising brown and grey bins is essential, which means blue bin collections will be disrupted.
"Thanks to our hard-working staff, we are one of the few Scottish councils who have not suspended bin collections during the pandemic, and we will work to get collections back to normal as soon as resources allow."
More info at Bin Collection Daily Updates
