DEDICATED binmen in Middlewich have been hailed 'everyday heroes' for their diligence and determination during coronavirus pandemic.

All household waste, recycling garden and food waste collections have continued to operate throughout the Covid-19 crisis.

Cllr Laura Crane, Cheshire East Council cabinet member responsible for waste, has thanked waste collection teams for their hard work.

Cllr Crane said: “Cheshire East’s waste and recycling colleagues have worked tirelessly to sustain our full service to more than 180,000 homes across the borough throughout this pandemic.

"Facing unprecedented challenges and delivering a vital service daily, our key workers have become ‘everyday heroes’, uniting our community with their grit, determination and smiles – and for this I thank them.

Runcorn and Widnes World:

Bin men thanked for their grit, determination and smiles

“This includes new staff and colleagues who joined crews from other areas of the council to ensure Ansa, a Cheshire East Council wholly-owned company, is able to maintain sufficient members of staff to allow the collections to operate in a safe manner and provide an uninterrupted service to residents. These workers joined the crew and retrained, often at short notice, learning new skills very quickly and showing adaptability and drive to work as a team."

Bin men have been welcomed by the local community.

“The collection crews are, in some cases, the only friendly face that some isolated residents see," said Cllr Crane. "Through this they have demonstrated best working practices and continue to go the extra mile, with a friendly wave or extra assistance to residents where needed.

“The overwhelming messages of thanks and support from residents has galvanised their resolve.

Runcorn and Widnes World:

Cllr Laura Crane said bin men had demonstrated the best working practices

“Utilising new and redeployed staff meant that some collections took place at different times on scheduled days. Because of this, we asked residents to be patient and only report a missed bin the day after the scheduled day of collection.

“We also asked them to help new and unfamiliar staff by placing their bins as close to the highway as possible. This assists in situations where some properties may be hard to find.

“For this help and patience, I would like to thank residents for working with us during this challenging time."

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Following the change in government advice, Cheshire East Council re-opened their eight household waste recycling centres on May 11.

Clle Crane added: “I am so grateful for the patience shown by residents and our staff during the reopening of our household waste centres. This helped the process of reopening the sites to run smoothly.

“To make this possible, a large amount of hard work took place in the background to ensure that site staff and residents would be safe. This included traffic management to help ease congestion on routes into the sites and adaption in the layout of the sites, with appropriate signage and additional staff employed to help manage the number of visitors that were expected.

“Through this planning, preparation and the new systems in place, I am pleased that residents have reported very short waiting times and our traffic management system, using alternative days for odd and even number plates, have been well received.”

Daily updates are issued on the council’s social media pages and full information is available at https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/waste_and_recycling/using-household-waste-recycling-centres/using-household-waste-recycling-centres.aspx#Numberplate

Residents are advised to check the website before setting out and urged to continue to be patient, only visit the sites when necessary and follow the new regulations and restrictions on site.

Information and reminders about the changes will feature on Cheshire East Council’s website and social media pages. Follow @CheshireEastCouncil on Facebook and @CheshireEast on Twitter to keep up-to-date.