Bin lorry drivers are offered £3k bonuses as pingdemic wreaks havoc: Councils eye extra cash for refuse collectors in bid to clear backlog of rubbish

Desperate councils are offering lorry drivers bonuses of £3,000 in a bid to clear the backlog of bin collections caused by the pingdemic.

Rubbish has piled up in many areas in recent weeks – with up to 40 per cent of some local authority workforces having to isolate.

Some residents have been told to cut down on the amount of food that they throw out as piles of uncollected waste grow. 

The issue has been worsened by a national shortage in specialist truck drivers which has been blamed on Brexit and the pandemic

Others have been asked not to put their bins out unless they are full, with collection services in dozens of areas running significantly behind schedule.

The issue has been worsened by a national shortage in specialist truck drivers which has been blamed on Brexit and the pandemic.

It has been described as a ‘perfect storm’ that could escalate over the summer. The Road Haulage Association recently warned of a 100,000 shortfall in specialist drivers.

Three Rivers District Council in Hertfordshire is tackling the issue by offering its fleet of 29 lorry drivers that cover all council services a salary increase of £3,000.

The payments are being offered in the hope of stopping the drivers being snapped up by other employers promising higher wages.

In order to tackle crippling staff shortages caused by Covid isolation requirements, some councils have been training up office staff to go out on collections, such as in Broxbourne, also in Hertfordshire.

However, it said the use of staff unfamiliar with regular bin placements had led to an increase in missed collections. Amid growing pressure, the Government this week extended the isolation exemption for pinged workers to those working in rubbish collection.

But the Local Government Association, which represents councils, said that more information is required about how quick the application process is and which staff are covered.

Dozens of councils have stopped their green collection – such as food and garden waste – to prioritise household waste and recycling. Residents in South Cambridgeshire have been warned about disruption with their bins in the weeks ahead.

Councillor Brian Milnes, of the council’s environmental services, said: ‘Residents can help by trying their very best to minimise the amount of food that they are throwing out and trying not to generate garden waste for now.’

Dozens of councils have stopped their green collection – such as food and garden waste

Residents in Milton Keynes were this week told that green waste collections had been suspended indefinitely and should put food waste in with household rubbish instead.

Serco, the council’s subcontractor, said that as many as 28 per cent of its staff were in self-isolation after getting pinged. For Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council the issue is even more severe, with 40 per cent of refuse staff off through sickness or being in isolation.

Three Rivers council said the retention payments for drivers came into force yesterday.