From tomorrow, residents will no longer be able to have garden waste picked up by the council in kerbside collections.

Dorset Council waste services (previously known as the Dorset Waste Partnership) will be suspending all garden waste kerbside collections from the end of today.

This is until further notice so that rubbish, food waste and recycling collections can be prioritised during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cllr Tony Alford, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Customer, Community and Regulatory Services, said: “The suspension of our Garden Waste service is regrettable, but anticipated and planned for. It is necessary to protect the other kinds of collections we need to provide, especially at this time when we expect household waste levels to rise as everybody stays at home.

"Please help us help you. Keep hold of your garden waste or home compost until the coronavirus public health guidance is relaxed. Do not burn it. Do not dump it elsewhere as this is fly-tipping and is illegal.

"We all need to play our part in coping with the current restrictions to our usual routines and dealing with your waste responsibly is a major part of that. Thank you for your co-operation.”

As this is a subscription service, customers will not lose out financially. The council has said it will work out how subscribers are compensated for collections they will not receive during this disruption period and contact them directly when services eventually return to normal.

With household recycling centres currently closed, Dorset residents are being asked to:

  • Reduce or stop producing garden waste for as long as possible, including cutting grass and trimming hedges
  • Store your garden waste safely until services resume
  • Not place garden waste in your other household waste bins
  • Please consider home composting – Dorset Council works with getcomposting.com to provide composting bins from as little as £19 (+P&P) and there are many other retailers online still delivering compost bins.
  • Residents are also being politely asked not to burn their waste. Those lighting bonfires are respectfully requested to consider their neighbours, who may be suffering from the virus, recovering, or have underlying medical conditions as smoke may exacerbate their problems and cause complications in their recovery.