Risk Assessment - Fortnightly Bin Collections and Public Safety

The request was partially successful.

Dear Cambridge City Council,

Fortnightly bin collections require that food and other waste may be left for up to two weeks. Obviously upon emptying bins there will be the generation of an aerosol containing fermented/rotting food particles/bacteria - this is oviously apparent if you cycle in Cambridge behind any of the green waste bin lorries.

May I ask to see a copy of the relevant risk assessments where you have endeavoured to determine what risk to health and well-being of members of the public as a result of fortnightly collections? Such a risk assessment should of course include measures taken to deal with this.

If you cannot find this risk assessment, may I request that you make public any other risk assessment for refuse collection where you discuss the health and wellbeing of members of the public?

It is possible that you have not risk assessed the impact of fortnightly collections upon public health. If that is the case could you please disclose that fact?

Yours faithfully,

Colin Davidson

Jen Robertson, Cambridge City Council

Dear Mr Davidson

In your freedom of Information request received 2/6/14, you asked for
the following information:

Fortnightly bin collections require that food and other waste may be
left for up to two weeks. Obviously upon emptying bins there will be the
generation of an aerosol containing fermented/rotting food
particles/bacteria - this is oviously apparent if you cycle in Cambridge
behind any of the green waste bin lorries.

May I ask to see a copy of the relevant risk assessments where you have
endeavoured to determine what risk to health and well-being of members
of the public as a result of fortnightly collections? Such a risk
assessment should of course include measures taken to deal with this.

If you cannot find this risk assessment, may I request that you make
public any other risk assessment for refuse collection where you discuss
the health and wellbeing of members of the public?

It is possible that you have not risk assessed the impact of
fortnightly collections upon public health. If that is the case could
you please disclose that fact?

Cambridge City Council provides a weekly collection of food waste as
food waste can go in the green bin one week and in the black bin the
following week. However, if residents are able to put all their food
waste in the green bin it will be composted instead of going through the
Mechanical Biological Treatment facility where the black bin waste is
treated. Cambridge city council also advises residents to wrap food
waste.

Refuse and recycling vehicles continually move the waste from the back
hopper into the main body of the vehicle via the packer plate which then
provides a seal with the back of the vehicle. The driver's handbook
details that this needs to be done from location to location.

Although we do not have a risk assessment for collecting green waste
fortnightly for members of the public, I attach a link to our policy
document which gives some information about risk to members of the
public from having fortnightly refuse and recycling collections.
https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/sites/www.c...
To the best of my knowledge this is the only document about refuse and
recycling collections we have relating to the health and wellbeing of
members of the public

If you are not happy with the way in which your request has been dealt
with please contact Jas Lally the Head of Service for Refuse and
Environment. You may also contact the Information Commissioner if you
are still not happy with the way your request has been dealt with. The
Information Commissioner’s address is:

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely

Jen Robertson
Cambridge City Council

Jen Robertson
Waste Strategy Manager

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