There have been reports of bins overflowing around the country as the rapid spread of Covid-19 causes staff shortages with extra waste created during the festive season.
Pictures taken on Cherry Street in the Walton area of Liverpool show rubbish piled high, bins overflowing and other items left in the street.
Liverpool Council said there are currently 14 staff members absent, although they do have contingency plans for a 20% reduction and can direct staff from other services as refuse and cleaning remain priorities.
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A spokesperson said the combination of additional festive refuse alongside changes to collection dates over the Christmas period can cause problems.
Any issues with rising staff absences would therefore only add to the situation.
The council said that as there are also no refuse collections on bank holidays, it normally takes a couple of weeks for the regular schedule to return.
The authority urged people to continue to recycle in their blue bins and not overfill their purple bins - as this can impact collection.
The rubbish in Cherry Street has now been logged for clearing.
Elsewhere in the country, staff sicknesses related to Covid-19 are being blamed for missed collections and overflowing rubbish
London, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Buckinghamshire are among the areas where councillors have warned bin collections are being scaled back because of staff sickness, according to The Guardian.
Chelmsford city council said 23 members of staff were absent and that three days of food waste collections were cancelled.
North Somerset council said it was unable to collect 1,000 recycling bins on New Year’s Eve because crews remained “stretched due to staff sickness”.
In Manchester, green food and garden recycling bin collections have been halted until further notice because of staff isolating. Residents have been told to put food waste into general waste bins and to keep hold of garden waste until collections start up again.
Birmingham Council has also blamed covid absences for missed collections over the festive period.
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