Bin collections in the snow

If there is snowy and icy weather, please put your bins and bags out as normal if it is safe for you to do so.

If bins and bags are likely to be/have been missed due to snowy weather, we will always publish an update bar at the top of our website that shows on all pages and we'll update our missed bins page. We'll also post updates to Facebook.

Staffordshire County Council look after the gritting of local roads, however most roads off main thoroughfares are not gritted - this means the residential streets that form most of our day can be slippery and unsafe, even if the main roads are passable. 

Our approach during the snow

We do all we can to empty your bins and bags during snowy and icy weather, but we also have to be mindful of the safety of local people, our drivers, our crews, our vehicles, and cars parked on streets.

• Our trucks are very heavy, particularly when they have a full load, and we need to be sure they will not slip or slide, or cause damage to parked vehicles, buildings or pedestrians before we move into a street.
• The decision on whether or not it is safe for our vehicles to drive in certain areas or streets will be made by our drivers locally - our professional HGV drivers will take into account the driving and weather conditions at the time they arrive in an area, and the physical nature of the roads that have to be driven down.
• We often hire in extra staff and trucks to catch up on missed collections, but when the weather is bad across the country, lots of councils need to hire in more trucks to deliver extra collections, so they are not always available.

During very icy or snowy weather we may suspend collections altogether to safeguard our crews and trucks. In such circumstances we will do our best to return as soon as possible, but we cannot guarantee we will always be able to do so. This is because for every day we miss we then have to catch up on 16,000 bins and bags at the same time as trying to empty the bins already scheduled for that day. We always prioritise returning for black bins over recycling because black bins often contain sanitary products, such as disposable nappies.

If we cancel garden waste collections we may not return and we will not offer any partial refunds.

What if your bin is missed

Check our missed bins page for instructions on what to do next. 

If you have extra recycling (due to a missed snowy collection) please leave it next to your blue bin, in a clear sack, on your next recycling collection day or take it to your nearest household recycling centre. 

Please do not put extra recycling in black bin bags - this means our crews can't see what is in them, so can't make sure they are recyclable items. It also means that our recycling plant will reject the load, as they can't be sure that black bin bags have recycling in them either.

If you regularly have extra recycling, why not order a second blue bin or extra bag for free?