Coronavirus (Covid 19)

Being in lockdown might seem like a great opportunity to ‘spring clean’, or have a general clear out. But please don’t be tempted to do this during this unprecedented time unless you can store any additional waste at home safely.

With most people spending much more time at home, more household waste is being produced, increasing the pressure on waste services. While the majority of waste collection continues as normal, some services in some areas have been reduced by the coronavirus outbreak. Until restrictions ease, there are fewer ways to recycle bulky goods such as sofas, mattresses, white goods, furniture, or other items that you cannot place in your normal rubbish and recycling bins.

Please do not put things you would normally recycle or take to the Recycling Centre in your rubbish bin – if there is currently no service in your area to recycle items like electrical appliances, garden waste, and batteries, please hold on to them until services resume. You can check your local council and county council websites for updates: https://www.devon.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling/ and https://www.recycledevon.org/waste-during-coronavirus.

Don’t fly-tip, it’s a crime. Leaving items outside on the street or in parks, forests and fields is fly-tipping. This is a crime and local authorities and the Environment Agency have a range of powers to tackle it. Even if you mean well and leave items outside charity shops, or next to full recycling bins, this is still fly-tipping. If you decide to arrange for a private waste collection, you have a duty to make sure you know where your waste is going and that the person collecting your waste is registered as an upper tier waste carrier. You can do this by going to https://cleandevon.org/check-who-you-pay-to-take-your-rubbish-away. You can report fly-tipping to your local authority via https://cleandevon.org/report-it/