Garden waste collections in Swale have been suspended due to low levels of staff amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Biffa – which is contracted to collect waste from homes in Sittingbourne, Faversham and on Sheppey – has had to restrict its services to just collecting food, general and recycling waste.

A Swale council spokesman released a statement asking people to get their brown bins back in if they were waiting for them to be collected.

Council spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, due to reduced staff levels, we have taken the decision to suspend garden waste collections to prioritise collecting general waste, food waste and recycling.

“This means that if your garden waste brown bin is out for collection, please take it in off the street until we are able to restart the collections."

They added that updates will be posted on the authority's website.

“If you don’t already, and you have the space, you could start home composting your garden waste," they added.

"If you don’t already, and you have the space, you could start home composting your garden waste."

“We will continue to collect your blue, green and food waste as planned, however if your bins are not collected on your usual allocated day, please leave them out and we will get to them as soon as we can.”

People have been sending words of thanks to refuse collectors and giving them thank you cards and leaving messages on the bins for them to be collected.

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