During the Coronavirus outbreak, in line with national government and public health guidance there are a number of changes to services and also residents' behaviour that will be necessary with immediate effect to help reduce the spread of the virus.

Residents who are COVID-19 positive or have suspected Coronavirus are being asked to keep tissues separate from other waste to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus, while it will also be necessary to temporarily close the Household Waste Recycling Centre at Tor Park Road, Paignton, from Tuesday 24 March 2020 in order to observe the latest social distancing guidelines.

Household waste and recycling collections are expected to continue as normal however, and remain a priority service.

Disposal of tissues

Please note if you do have Coronavirus or suspected Coronavirus, note personal waste (such as used tissues) and disposable cleaning cloths can be stored securely within disposable rubbish bags. These bags should be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste. This should be put aside for at least 72 hours before being put in your usual external household waste bin. Please remember to also wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds after you have disposed of the item.

Other household waste can be disposed of as normal until advised otherwise.

More information is on the Lets Recycle website.

Temporary closure of the Household Waste and Recycling Centre

To protect both residents and staff, a decision has been made to temporarily close the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Tor Park Road, Paignton.

Councillor Mike Morey, Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Culture for Torbay Council, said: “Due to the ongoing COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak and in order to be able to observe government public health guidance around social distancing, it is with regret that Torbay Council and TOR2 have had to make the joint decision to temporarily close the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Tor Park Road, Paignton.

“This is to protect both staff and residents as over the weekend it became clear that people visiting the centre have not able to observe the social distancing that is now being urged by central government. 

“We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause but the health and safety of residents and staff is paramount.”

Please note the Weighbridge will also be closed to the public during this time.

More information on what goes in your household bins and recycling boxes is on our Recycling pages. 

Further information and advice on Coronavirus is on the Government's Coronavirus web pages. 

Information on social distancing is the GOV.UK social distancing web pages. 

Waste collections

Waste and recycling collections are expected to continue as normal during the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak. At present our plan is that we will prioritise household waste collections over other services but we will need to review this as the situation develops.

The exception is green waste collections, which are temporarily suspended during this period to prioritise household residual waste and food waste, and recycling such as cardboard, paper, plastic and tin.

More information on what goes in your household bins and recycling boxes is on the Recycling pages of our website. 

More information on services affected by Coronavirus in Torbay is available on our Service Changes web pages.