Day: April 3, 2020

Morrisons thanks staff with threefold increase in bonus for next 12 months

  • Full time colleagues will earn a bonus of £1,050 compared to around £350 average last year
  • The special bonus is the largest for frontline supermarket staff announced in recent weeks

Morrisons is recognising the huge effort by its colleagues who are helping to feed the nation during the coronavirus outbreak by increasing this year’s annual bonus payout threefold from last year.

Morrisons annual colleague bonus will become a ‘thank you’ bonus with the increase lasting for the next 12 months.

Because it will be a percentage of the entire year’s pay, frontline colleagues at Morrisons will see the largest special bonus of those announced over the last few weeks in the supermarket sector.

Morrisons colleagues have worked tirelessly to help meet demand and to thank them they will see these changes to the current bonus scheme:

  • All frontline colleagues will receive a 6% bonus on their earnings for the next 12 months rather than just the next 8-12 weeks
  • The changes represent a bonus payment of £1,050 for a full-time frontline colleague compared to the £351 that would have been paid last year
  • The bonus will be guaranteed in recognition of the effort made by very hard working colleagues
  • It will be paid quarterly so colleagues don’t have to wait until next year to be paid
  • The bonus will continue to be paid as a percentage of actual earnings as per previous years
  • Colleagues who are off sick or are self-isolating will remain eligible
  • Both permanent and temporary colleagues will be eligible in recognition of the thousands of new colleagues who have joined Morrisons in recent weeks.

Clare Grainger, Group People Director said: “Our highly valued colleagues have stood tall amidst the coronavirus pandemic, playing their full part in feeding the nation.

“We want to thank every single one of them for their continued hard work during these unprecedented times by paying a much higher guaranteed bonus for the whole year in recognition of their effort.”

Morrisons frontline salaried managers are also guaranteed to receive a bonus that will be twice their maximum yearly amount in a normal year, again guaranteed and paid quarterly.

The bonus overhaul is the latest change that Morrisons has put in place for its highly valued colleagues.

Previous measures include paying extremely vulnerable and high risk colleagues 12 weeks paid leave to self isolate as well as paying 12 weeks paid leave to colleagues who live with someone who is high risk and extremely vulnerable.

In store, perspex screens have been installed to protect colleagues and customers while paying for groceries at the checkouts and social distancing measures have been introduced.

#ItsMoreThanOurJob

Deliveries begin for high risk groups

People in Scotland at highest risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) will begin to receive home deliveries of essential groceries today.

Letters from the Chief Medical Officer have been issuing this week to those who are at greatest risk of COVID-19, to provide bespoke guidance on shielding from infection and information about the support available, which includes access to home deliveries through a text message service.

People who have received the letter this week and signed up to the service have been texted with the option of starting their weekly deliveries of essential food items including soup, pasta, rice, fruit, vegetables, tea, coffee and biscuits, as well as toiletries such as shower gel and toilet roll, on Friday.

Other measures being put in place include:

  • Specialist medicines such as chemotherapy drugs delivered through local health boards
  • Local Resilience Partnerships working with Community Pharmacy to scale up deliveries of pharmacy medicines
  • Work with supermarkets to ensure priority delivery slots for people at high clinical risk

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “These new services are available to those at the highest risk of severe illness from COVID-19 who do not have support structures around them to help.

“This includes people with specific forms of cancer, severe respiratory conditions, certain rare diseases, recipients of organ transplants, those on immunosuppression therapies and pregnant women with congenital heart disease.

“Many people will have support from friends and family but I would encourage everyone who receives a letter and requires support to sign up to the service immediately – this will ensure you have adequate supplies of food and essential items during these challenging times.

“It is vitally important that people at highest clinical risk are shielded as much as possible, and our advice alongside this text service will help protect people from the detrimental effects of the virus, including disruption to health and social care and key services.

“Our local services must prioritise those most in need and – by doing so – we will protect them, reduce the burden on the NHS and save lives. By continuing to work together, we can all play our part in keeping everyone safe.” 

Those in the high risk group who do not have access to mobile phones will be able to register for deliveries through their local authority.

Contact details are on the NHS Inform website and can also be accessed through the main switchboard number for local councils.

The grocery delivery service will be led by Brakes and Bidfood with the first deliveries expected on 3 April.

The six categories of risk – as agreed by the UK’s Chief Medical Officers – are:

1. Solid organ transplant recipients

2. People with specific cancers:
a. People with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer
b. People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
c. People having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
d. People having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
e. People who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last six months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs

3. People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe COPD

4. People with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as SCID, homozygous sickle cell)

5. People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection

6. People who are pregnant with significant congenital heart disease

Initial estimates of the numbers involved were 150,000-200,000, however, a large number of people have been found to qualify in more than one category, and examination of patient records has identified patients who do not fall into the categories and do not need to apply such stringent measures to protect themselves.

NET sends further £5million to front line charities

The National Emergencies Trust has announced a further £5m of funding will be distributed to front line charities today helping those most impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. This is possible thanks to the generosity of the UK public, major charitable trusts and corporate donations.

So far, around half of the £16m total pledged to the Coronavirus Appeal has been given out (£7.5m in total), following an initial allocation of almost £2.5m a week after the appeal launched. Further distributions will be made in the coming days, to continue to support the most vulnerable in society.

The money will be distributed through UK Community Foundations to 46 local community foundations across the country.

Major businesses and charitable trusts across the UK, as well as the British public, have generously donated to the appeal, including corporate donors such as BT, Tesco, HSBC, M&S and National Grid.

The appeal is responding to the needs of local communities across the UK and allocating money to community foundations based on local factors such as levels of deprivation and demographics in each region.

Local Distribution

A snapshot of some of the local groups already benefitting from the appeal include:

Horncastle Food Bank

Horncastle Food Bank in Lincolnshire which has seen a 300% increase in demand for food and hygiene parcels. The group has also stepped in to help combat child poverty, by providing food for those children no longer receiving free school meals and are now also distributing hot meals for vulnerable people currently in isolation.

ASD Helping Hands

ASD Helping Hands helps those caring for children and young adults with autism, supporting over 1,300 families in Norfolk. Since the outbreak, the organisation has launched a web and phone-based advice and listening service to continue to support the mental wellbeing of families during this stressful time.

Musical Memories

Social enterprise Musical Memories saw its 5th anniversary Big Sing concert for more than 150 older people in the community cancelled due to the outbreak. However, the social enterprise hasn’t been deterred and is now hosting live music online sessions every day for older people across rural Yorkshire to help fight loneliness and isolation. Funding will provide recording equipment to facilitate ever more creative and engaging remote concerts.

NET Coronavirus Appeal

The National Emergencies Trust’s Coronavirus Appeal was launched in partnership with the British Red Cross and with the support of the Duke of Cambridge.

Anyone can make a donation and further donations can be made by clicking the below button.

DONATE

 

This week celebrity supporters including Miranda Hart, Joe Lycett and Kate Thornton have shared video messages on their social media urging the public to get behind the appeal.

John Herriman, CEO of the National Emergencies Trust, said: “It is fantastic that good causes across the UK are already seeing the benefits of the public’s support and the overwhelming generosity of our corporate donors. It’s vital that we are able to offer support to these groups as soon as we can.

“Our work may have started but there is still much more to do. We’re asking the public to get behind the appeal and make contribution if possible, or to spread the word to help raise awareness.

“Everyone who donates can be confident their money is reaching those in need quickly and making an instant difference to the most vulnerable in our communities at this difficult time. We need to come together more than ever and I’m heartened the British public are rising to the challenge.”

Rosemary Macdonald, Interim CEO of UK Community Foundations, said: “Working closely with our network of 46 community foundations, we’re seeing unprecedented demand for support from those in need across our society.

“We’re working to make sure that donations reach communities quickly and in response to particular needs, so that we are properly supporting the most vulnerable as best we can.”

In Awe of our Carers

SCOTS are being urged to show their appreciation for the work of Scotland’s vast army of social care workers who are continuing to provide vital services to older and vulnerable people during the Coronavirus crisis.

Leading housing and care provider Blackwood is promoting a campaign to shine a light on the important front-line role care employees are playing – and to encourage businesses and individuals to look at ways they can show their gratitude.

Across Scotland, it is estimated that up to 150,000 staff work in the social care sector, providing care to people in care homes and retirement developments as well as care-at-home services.

Blackwood Chief Executive Fanchea Kelly said:  “Many older and vulnerable people could require hospital care without the help of our wonderful care staff. This vital support is happening in our communities in an almost invisible way during the COVID-19 crisis.

“In Blackwood we believe it is essential to recognise this important work publicly. We’d like to let care staff know that they are appreciated, keeping morale high at a time where many people are going way beyond their normal duties. If you can do anything to show your support, we’d love to hear from you.

“The first thing you can do is to join our campaign #ImInAwe so please tweet, retweet and share far and wide to get behind our carers and show how much they are valued.

“And I want to say thanks to members of Edinburgh Sports Club for volunteering to help drive our carers to their shifts as public transport services decrease.

“If you or your business can help in your own way, get in touch, we would love to hear from you to put a collective show of support across Scotland. But most importantly use ‘#ImInAwe‘ to show you care.”

Blackwood aims to help people live their life to the full, by providing services which support individuals to live independently. It specialises in technology and design innovation to support the role of its housing and care staff across Scotland.

For more information, please visit: https://www.blackwoodgroup.org.uk 

Update from Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Mike Coupe

I’ve written to you regularly over the past few weeks as we adapt the way we work to keep our shelves full while keeping you and our colleagues safe.

We continue to make changes in line with government guidelines and in response to feedback from you and our colleagues.

I am writing today to tell you about measures we are taking to protect our customers and colleagues and to update you on our product availability and on how we continue to support our elderly and vulnerable customers.

Keeping our customers and colleagues safe

Keeping you and our colleagues safe is our number one priority. This week we have brought in further measures to help you keep a safe distance from other customers and from our colleagues when you are visiting our stores.

We have queuing systems in place outside stores and ask you to please queue at a safe distance of two metres apart. Please also try to keep a safe distance from other customers and from our colleagues when you are doing your shop. We have placed clear markings on shop floors to help you know what a safe distance is.

From today, we are asking everyone to please only send one adult per household to our shops.

This helps us keep people a safe distance apart and also helps to reduce queues to get into stores. Our store teams will be asking groups with more than one adult to choose one adult to shop and will ask other adults to wait. Children are of course welcome if they are not able to stay at home.

To help keep our colleagues safe while serving customers, we now have screens at most manned checkouts. In the next few days we will have finished installing the screens across all manned checkouts in every supermarket, convenience store and Argos collection point.

Feeding the nation

We have been working hard with our suppliers to improve our product availability. Most people are now just buying what they need for themselves and their families. This means we now often have stock on the shelves all day and at the end of the day.

People have been queuing to get into our stores when they open in the mornings, but customers are now finding they can shop at any time of the day and feel confident in finding most of what they need.

As stock continues to build, we have been reviewing whether we still need to limit the number of items people buy. I am pleased to tell you that we will start to remove limits from Sunday. Limits will remain in place on the most popular items which include UHT milk, pasta and tinned tomatoes.

We have removed limits from Easter eggs immediately as we know families often want to buy more than three and we have plenty of these in all stores and online.

Supporting elderly and vulnerable customers

We are continuing to prioritise elderly and vulnerable customers for online delivery slots and our customer Careline has helped 170,000 customers, who will now get priority access to online delivery. In total, we have offered priority booking to more than 450,000 elderly or vulnerable customers.

I apologise to customers who have been struggling to get through to our online team. The team is working at full capacity and we are doing our very best to get to people as quickly as possible.

We are expanding our groceries online service as much and as quickly as we can. Two weeks ago we had 370,000 online grocery slots available. By the end of next week we will have increased this to 600,000 across home delivery and click and collect and we will continue to add more capacity over the coming weeks.

Supporting our colleagues

Our colleagues really are doing a remarkable job. I have been into a number of stores over the past few days and have been struck by their dedication and their determination to do the best job for our customers. These are very uncertain times and our colleagues really are on the frontline.

We are doing everything we can to keep our colleagues safe and this includes supporting them if they need to self-isolate. Where colleagues are considered vulnerable, we are paying them in full for the recommended 12 weeks self-isolation, including colleagues who live with extremely vulnerable family members who the government has asked to shield for 12 weeks.

I am personally committed to ensuring the safety of our colleagues and we will continue to do the right thing to protect them throughout this time.

I have been delighted to see that customers have told us they think colleague friendliness is at an all-time high at the moment. I think this is real testament both to the hard work of our colleagues and also the fantastic recognition they are getting for the vital role they are playing throughout this crisis.

Thank you for treating our colleagues with the respect and kindness they deserve. They really are doing their best to serve our customers well in these challenging times.

Best wishes

Mike

Entrepreneur aims to Keep Edinburgh Thriving

Pioneering venture Keep Edinburgh Thriving will allow residents to continue to ‘shop local’ whilst simultaneously supporting businesses across Edinburgh to survive COVID-19 and beyond 

Three weeks ago, everything changed overnight for small businesses across the city of Edinburgh. Social distancing measures forced them to close their doors indefinitely and the future for each of them, became somewhat uncertain.

In an attempt to provide these independent vendors with a much-needed lifeline, local entrepreneur, Robbie Allen has launched Keep Edinburgh Thriving, a service that will see a selection of local high-quality products packaged up into gift boxes and delivered to households across Scotland’s capital.

The pioneering venture will allow local residents to continue to ‘shop local’ whilst simultaneously providing a critical lifeline to these businesses, helping them with cash flow and financial sustainability during COVID-19 and beyond.

Robbie Allen, founder of Keep Edinburgh Thriving comments: “It is a really simple idea. Our aim is to Keep Edinburgh Thriving.

“We are partnering with a bunch of amazing local businesses in Edinburgh and taking these high-quality products and handling all the logistics and e-commerce side of things for them so that they can continue to grow and sustain their company and livelihood.

“This is a really tough time for our beloved high street, and we want to help as many local Edinburgh businesses as possible. As soon as you place an order this instantly benefits our local partners providing the products in each gift box.”

There are two box sizes of gift box available – a small box contains 4-5 items (£39) and a large contains 6-7 items (£55). Customers will receive a variety of products including artisan food and snacks, local art, drinks, craft coffee, beer, spirits, lifestyle products (candles, coasters, notebooks, mugs/tumblers) and local skin care products, all of which will be high-quality and local to Edinburgh.

To help support the local community further during this epidemic, £2 from each gift box sale will be donated to the Edinburgh Food Project.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has caused a sudden, steep decline in business for cafes, restaurants, boutiques, artisans, creators and local retailers.

For more information about how to support your local high street and keep Edinburgh Thriving, visit www.keepedinburghthriving.com

National Express: Full suspension of Services from Midnight 5 April

National Express will fully suspend its national network of scheduled coach services with effect from midnight Sunday 5 April.

Chris Hardy, managing director of National Express UK Coach said: “We kept a limited coach network running to be able to help those individuals with essential travel needs but it is no longer viable to continue to do this.

“Passenger numbers continue to fall as the public rightly follow government advice to avoid non-essential travel. The decision to temporarily suspend all services is the right one based on the current unprecedented circumstances and I hope our passengers understand this.

“It is very clear that the critical thing we must do to protect our NHS and save lives is to stay at home. All journeys before Monday 6 April will be completed and we will ensure customers are not stranded but until further notice, we will not be running any services.”

Passengers who had travel booked can choose to hold the ticket and amend for future travel within the next 12 months, free of charge, regardless of the terms and conditions. Customers do not need to make contact until they wish to rebook.

For passengers who do not want this option, a full refund will be issued for cancelled services in line with terms and conditions.

Full details are available on the National Express website www.nationalexpress.com.

Chris Hardy added: “Our drivers, customer service teams, customer contact centre and the wider National Express team have been working incredibly hard to keep our services running safely and we thank them for their efforts.

“We are speaking to them about what this means and will continue to do all we can to support everyone who works in our business at this challenging time.

“We know this is a worrying time. We take the welfare of our customers and employees extremely seriously and will continue to take guidance from the Government to ensure we do everything we sensibly can to keep them safe.

“Regular updates will be provided through our website, social media channels and email alerts.

“When the time is right, we look forward to resuming services and welcoming customers back on board.”

More important than ever to look after ourselves, says walking charity

Scotland’s walking charity is urging the public to stay active and take a walk everyday amidst the Coronavirus outbreak.

Paths for All says it’s more important than ever that people who feel well should walk alone or with those they live with to protect their physical and mental health.

Exercising once a day is one of only four reasons why people are allowed to leave their home. The charity believes that those not experiencing symptoms and not in the high-risk groups should go out for short, local walks as long as they minimise social contact.

Paths for All has also launched new online guidance and links to resources which can help people stay active indoors, connect with nature outside and encourage those working from home to move more.

Ian Findlay CBE, Chief Officer at Paths for All, said: “Now more than ever it’s important for people to look after their physical and mental health.

“Fresh air, being outdoors and connecting with nature is not only positive for your physical health, but it can help your mental health by improving your mood and reducing stress and anxiety. We believe it’s important for people to continue to enjoy short, local walks provided you are well and where it’s safe and appropriate to do so.

“The official advice is to stay local. Choose routes right from your own front door if you can, to avoid non-essential travel. You should try to visit places you know will be quiet, away from hotspots, and remember to keep a distance of at least two metres from other people.

“If you are unable to go outside for a walk, then there are many ways you can keep moving at home. Browse online for demonstration videos and resources and remember to take regular breaks from sitting down to get up and move around.”

Walking provides many benefits, including increased fitness and enhanced mood on top of reducing the risk of depression, anxiety, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, dementia and diabetes.

The charity’s campaigns and events showcase how walking can bring significant benefits to the nation’s health and environment, aiming to encourage everyone in Scotland to walk every day and everywhere.

Paths for All works with Scottish Government and 30 partners to support and deliver national policies, such as the National Walking Strategy and other ‘active travel’ initiatives.

For more information on Paths for All, visit: pathsforall.org.uk

Edinburgh Science Festival goes digital!

  • Elements of #EdSciFest is a digital reiteration of Edinburgh Science Festival 2020, now cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Elements of #EdSciFest draws on the original 2020 theme for the festival,   Elementary, which used the ancient classifications of Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Aeather as lenses to look at the challenges and opportunities facing the planet.
  • Featuring dozens of free content items such as videos, Facebook Lives, blog posts, Q&As, online challenges and downloadable assets, Elements of #EdSciFest is the perfect opportunity to get hands-on with science at home, regardless of age.
  • Elements of #EdSciFest is live on sciencefestival.co.uk at 10am on Saturday 4 April with further events and assets to be added by 11 April. All content will be available online until normal service resumes.
  • Some of the highlights include live streamed talks from Claudia Hammond, Marcus Chown and Ilan Kelman, downloadable dinosaur craft activities, an online photo exhibition celebrating Scotland’s Coasts and Waters and a takeover of the Earth Live Lessons YouTube series.

Edinburgh Science team is pleased to reveal Elements of #EdSciFest, an ambitious free online programme of science videos, Facebook Lives, blogs, downloadable activities, Q&As, online challenges and more to keep sci-curious minds busy at home.

Being the world’s first and still Europe’s largest science festival, Edinburgh Science Festival has a wealth of experience in creating fun, engaging science content. Elements of #EdSciFest is set to be a fantastic resource for people of all ages confined to their homes and with many parents trying their hand at home-schooling.

Drawing on the Elementary theme of the Edinburgh Science Festival 2020, this wide-ranging project is a digital reiteration of the Festival which had to be cancelled in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the face of these unprecedented challenges, the Festival has called on its speakers and partner organisations to put together an exciting and innovative digital programme.

The content of the Elements of #EdSciFest programme explores science’s role in addressing the biggest global environmental challenges through five strands – Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Aether, the latter representing the digital world.

Each element provides a different way of looking at some of the challenges and opportunities facing humanity.

The All Fired Up strand focuses on how we tackle the climate crisis with the urgency it requires. 

One Earth explores the circular and sharing economies, tackles our extinction crisis and looks at ways we can feed the world on a global scale. The Air We Breathe looks into air pollution and fuel alternatives that will help bring clean air to as many people as possible. Water for Life dives into our relationship with rivers and oceans and the protection they need from exploitation. Finally, Aether / Go Digital looks at the power we hold at our fingertips, the potential solutions that technology holds to our problems and the issues that might arise from it.

The Festival’s outdoor photography exhibition, Into the Blue, is now being brought indoors and on to our screens for everyone to enjoy from home. Every day the Festival is uploading a new picture from the exhibition on to their Instagram, taking users on a fascinating journey around some of Scotland’s most remarkable coastlines with stunning photography from local artists.

Online content will include a series of short science videos covering a huge range of topics. These have been filmed by speakers who were originally planned to appear at the Science Festival, along with some special new additions who were keen to get involved following the cancellation announcement.

Live-streamed content will include talks from broadcaster Claudia Hammond on the importance of rest in our fast-moving world, science writer Marcus Chown on the vast complexities of the Universe and Professor Ilan Kelman on how the majority of natural disasters are created or exacerbated by human choices.

Dr Raj Persaud brings back his TEDX and podcasts exploring themes such as seduction, pandemics and happiness.

60 Seconds Science series sees, among others, Prof Nick Jelly talking on renewable energy, Pragya Arwal taking on unconscious bias, Prof Geraint Lewis and Dr Luke Barnes presenting The Cosmic Revolutionary’s Handbook and Jan Hodel shining light on his work in brewing and distilling.

Very Short Introduction To…. series also continues online with 10 different science topics.

Elsewhere, The University of Edinburgh have prepared a range of videos exploring issues around climate change. Also, Digital World (Skills Development Scotland) are sharing a range of digital workshops and online learning with fun tasks challenging audiences to Defend a Hospital and Steal a Pizza.

Instead of the Dinosaur Weekend that was planned for children at the Pleasance, the Festival has designed a series of dinosaur crafts that kids can download and make at home. Plus, two events that were planned for the Festival’s flagship family venue, the City Art Centre, will now take place in digital form as part of an Edinburgh Science takeover of the popular Earth Live Lessons YouTube series. On 10 and 11 April, viewers can livestream talks focused on our amazing oceans and Scottish wildlife.

National Space Academy, originally involved in Exploring Space Science, presents a series of events for the space-curious.

These include demo videos with Tim Peake, first British European Space Agency astronaut to visit the International Space Station, a virtual tour of the Science and Technology Facilities Council including space rocks brought from Apollo missions, online library of the National Space Centre, a series of short videos in which team from the National Space Centre answers questions from the public via social media and a TEDX talk from Kierann Shah on how space can save the world.

Through a series of This Is Engineering short videos as well as STEM teacher resources from the Royal Academy of Engineering, the young minds get a chance to have a closer look at engineering careers and the difference they make in the world. Also exploring the world of engineering is This Book Thinks You’re An Inventor by Jon Milton and Harriet Russell. Elements of #EdSciFest presents colourful and simple one-page engineering challenges and activities that can be done at home.

For Minecraft fans, Society of Antiquaries present Crafting the Past, a website which digitally recreates sites in Minecraft, enabling audiences to discover Scotland’s history, heritage and archaeology, including free to download maps.

Amanda Tyndall, Festival and Creative Director at Edinburgh Science, said: “Two weeks ago, we made the sad but necessary decision to cancel the Edinburgh Science Festival due to the global spread of COVID-19, but it takes more than lockdown to keep us down!

“We’ve reached out to our partners, participants and supporters, wracked our brains and trawled our archives and I’m delighted to announce that our online offering, ‘Elements of #EdSciFest’, will launch on 4 April.

“Using the ancient classifications of Earth, Air, Fire and Water and Aether to explore how science can help address some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing us as individuals, societies and as a planet, we’ll bring you talks, reading lists, film recommendations, curated articles, downloadable resources and a selection of ‘live’ events that help ensure that everyone – from kids, parents and teachers to the just generally sci-curious –  can get still get some science this Easter!’’

www.sciencefestival.co.uk

@EdSciFest

www.facebook.com/EdinburghScienceFestival

 

Further changes to waste collections ‘will help protect workers’ safety’

First it was glass, now it’s garden waste. Changes will be made to waste collections in Edinburgh to ensure the continued delivery of essential services and to protect the health of frontline workers and residents.

  • New arrangements will protect the health of frontline staff
  • Non-statutory garden waste collections will be suspended to allow for changes
  • Additional measures have been taken to safeguard public health

From 7 April we are suspending kerbside garden waste (brown bin) collections to help prioritise resources while enabling waste collection crews to observe social distancing guidelines during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

In order to give crew members the space to stay two metres apart, the number of operatives in refuse lorry cabs will be reduced, meaning we’ll need increased resources to carry out the collection of kerbside and communal general waste, food recycling and dry mixed recycling.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “As a result of the current situation, non-statutory garden waste collections will be suspended until further notice, along with kerbside glass (blue box) collections, which were stopped earlier this month.

We’ll be in touch with households who have paid for this service about how we’ll compensate them for the reduction in service once we know the extent of the disruption.

“We’re working extremely hard to continue providing essential services to people living here, and our waste collection crews are doing a fantastic job. However, their health is of utmost importance so it’s important that we adapt service provision to protect their safety.

“This latest change will allow us to keep collecting most bins while giving teams the space to practise social distancing, limiting the potential spread of the coronavirus. I want to reassure the public that we’re doing everything we can to keep essential services running as close to normal as possible while looking out for the needs of the people who work for us.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Like local authorities across the country we face unprecedented challenges and at times like these it’s necessary to make changes for the good of the city, and our employees.

“We know this will be of some inconvenience to those planning to be gardening during this period, but I would discourage people from putting grass and cuttings in the brown bins in the meantime, as contents will begin to compost meaning they may become too heavy for us to collect once the service is up and running again. You can, however, find tips and advice for home composting on Changeworks’ website.”

To further support the essential collection of general waste, mixed recycling and food recycling, the council is procuring extra resources from a third-party provider, as well as reassigning staff from cleansing teams.

Anyone with symptoms of Coronavirus is encouraged to follow the guidance on how to dispose of waste correctly to help protect the safety of bin collection crews.

Additional measures taken to safeguard waste and cleansing workers’ health have been the increased provision of hand sanitiser supplies, in addition to hot water handwashing points in a number of vehicles, the washing down of lorries at the end of shifts and efforts to encourage social distancing in depots.

We will be contacting all those who have registered for garden waste collections to update on arrangements via letter or email, depending on how they signed up.

During this period, residents can continue recycling garden waste by using a compost bin if possible – tips and advice for home composting are available on Changeworks’ website.

If your brown bin is full please don’t put more garden waste in as the contents will start to compost and could become too heavy to empty when services start again.

Further information on changes to bin collections and other services can be found on the Council website.