People are leaving more glass at recycling points since pubs were closed as part of the coronavirus lockdown more than two weeks ago.
Brighton mother-of-two Lydia Ross was taken aback by the quantity of glass she spotted early yesterday (Sunday 5 April) at the recycling point in Preston Park when she went out to exercise.
She took a photo of the overspill of bottles and dubbed the image “Brighton does quarantine” on social media.
Brighton and Hove City Council said that there was a significant increase in the amount of glass at domestic recycling points across the area.
The council said: “Many residents are taking our advice and taking their glass to the recycling points.
“There was a build-up of glass at some of our recycling points which we are or have collected, including Preston Park.
“We’re keeping this under review and may increase collections from recycling points.”
High rates of staff sickness at Cityclean, the council’s waste collection service, led officials to prioritise emptying rubbish bins over recycling.
The council hopes to restart recycling collections from people’s homes in some areas this week subject to staff numbers.
The council said: “We are still prioritising communal collections and kerbside waste.
“We’re asking residents with uncollected kerbside recycling to take it to one of our many recycling points located throughout the city or wash, squash and store it at home until normal services resume.”
It sounds ominous, so many of Cityclean ill. Are there details about the virus upon bins? I wash my hands after opening one.
Give me the gear to make it gone.I will take it to them at cityclean , just house me and my girlfriend so we can help more,
Please
Brighton and Hove residents have always drunk more than the rest of the country, the city is built on hedonism. You don’t need a lockdown to see that, just look at the alcohol related deaths and hospital admissions in the city, some of the worst in England.
Er….taking your recycling to a collection point is NOT one of the 4 reasons that we are allowed to leave the house due to covid 19 restrictions !!!
Hi Fiona, taking the bins out isn’t one of the four reasons either. If you want to stay in and just let the rubbish pile up in your home, you do you.
Can I catch this virus breathing in the air or if someone is breathing near me?
The virus is transmitted through bodily fluids, most frequently saliva. Coughing and sneezing are obviously great ways to pass it on, but since people also exhale trace amounts of saliva when breathing normally, it’s also possible (though far less likely) to catch it that way. This is why the NHS and WHO recommend keeping a two-metre distance from people – people don’t exhale with much force, so that’s far enough to pretty much ensure it isn’t passed on that way. The longer you spend around an infected person, the greater your risk of catching it is, so try to limit contact with people outside your household as far as possible. You don’t have to live in fear, just be aware and stay safe 🙂
So the answer to the title is “probably not”: the buildup is caused by lack of collection and also people not drinking at pubs/clubs anymore.
Replying to Fiona.
Recycling materials are not collected from our house of flats in Hove, so I carry mine in a bag to the nearest recycling point by the King Alfred.
I do this as part of my walk, and I can assure you that carrying a bag of glass bottles adds to the exercise. I take wet wipes to ensure I do not touch the bins.