Overview
- Colchester City Council has confirmed it will temporarily start all household waste and recycling rounds at 6am for the week ahead to reduce crews' exposure to high temperatures.
- The change covers general rubbish, recycling, food waste, garden waste and glass collections and residents must place bins at the kerb by 6am on their scheduled day to avoid missed pickups.
- The council framed the move as a safety measure so crews can complete work during cooler morning hours and said normal times will resume when conditions allow.
- Other Essex councils, including Chelmsford and Epping Forest, currently expect collections to continue as usual but are monitoring forecasts and say they will update residents if plans change.
- The decision follows earlier temporary suspensions in Colchester during late June’s near-40C spell and reflects councils following national guidance and local risk assessments when heat threatens frontline workers.