Waste and recycling crews in Torbay are still working really hard to catch up after the Christmas holidays (between 22 December and 5 January) saw an increase of 157 tonnes of recycling compared to the same period the previous year. That’s approximately an additional 35 recycling vehicle loads and it was estimated there was around 20% more cardboard packaging alone compared to previous years due to more people ordering deliveries online.

As of today, Tuesday 12 January, out of 66,000 properties, the crews, who work for SWISCo which delivers services on behalf of Torbay Council, have around 5,995 households (around 9%) of the total still to get back on track for their normal collection day.

Councillor Mike Morey, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Environment and Culture for Torbay Council, said: “We are very nearly there now and should still be able to have caught up by week commencing 18 January.

“The good news is most of the rounds left are closer to the depot which will significantly reduce travelling time and mean the work can be done more quickly.

“So thank you for your continued patience and please do bear with our crews, as we are getting there but there have been incredibly large volumes of recycling to collect.”

Most waste and recycling services are continuing as usual despite the lockdown – you can find out more on our recycling pages.