Recycling and black bag waste collections have been thrown into disarray in several parts of Wales because so many refuse staff are off self isolating.
Bridgend and Cardiff are two of the areas where bins collection teams have been hit by the high numbers of people being pinged by the NHS Covid app or contacted by Test and Trace and asked to self isolate because of a contact with a Covid case.
Cardiff council said its workforce had been "significantly reduced" with around a fifth of drivers unable to work and the national shortage of HGV drivers meaning that recruitment agencies were unable to find replacements.
In Bridgend, where a private contractor Kier collects waste, a spokesperson for the council said: "A number of Kier staff have been advised to self-isolate following potential exposure to a positive case of coronavirus."
Read more: Free activities for your kids to do this summer in Bridgend
A spokesperson for Cardiff council said: "Like many local authorities across the UK, Cardiff council is experiencing unprecedented challenges to maintain frontline services.
"The impact of the Delta variant alongside the extreme hot weather, for which the Met Office has issued a weather warning, is affecting our ability to deliver some services.
" The number of waste operatives having to self-isolate, or who have fallen ill has risen and this combined with the holiday season means we have been left with a significantly reduced workforce to collect waste across Cardiff.
“Around a fifth of the drivers we require on a daily basis are currently unavailable for work and, due to the national shortage of HGV drivers in the UK, recruitment agencies are struggling to provide staff to cover sickness and holidays, as they would ordinarily do."
He added that the heat meant staff needed longer breaks and thanked residents for their patience. He asked them to leave waste outside the property if it wasn't collected and said staff would aim to pick it up within 48 hours.
This delay in Bridgend comes less than a month after residents faced refuse collection delays for the same reason.
Following confusion regarding the affected areas, the local authority confirmed: "Recycling collections are being carried out today in Coychurch village so all residents are asked to put out their recycling as normal.
"It is Coychurch Road, Tremains Road and areas around Bridgend town centre which are affected by delays due to some Kier staff being required to self-isolate.
"In addition, some streets in Bridgend around the Princess of Wales Hospital are also affected.
"Recycling not collected in Coychurch Road, Tremains Road, areas around Bridgend town centre and around the Princess of Wales Hospital will all be collected on Saturday so we ask residents to please put out their recycling by 7am on Saturday.
"Crews are doing the best they can to cover all areas in the current circumstances, we apologise for any inconvenience.
"Any changes or delays to collections will be communicated via official BCBC channels."
BCBC has assured refuse collections will be completed as normal, however, recycling collections due on Wednesday, July 21st in the above-listed areas will now take place on Saturday, July 24th.
Additionally, residents who expected recycling collections on Tuesday, July 20th in Cefn Cribbwr, Aberkenfig, Kenfig Hill, Tondu, Ogmore Vale, Pant yr awel and Llangeinor can also expect collections on Saturday, July 24th instead.
Want news like this straight to your inbox for free? Sign up here.
