Put your bins out by 6am as Cornwall’s heat brings collections forward

The bin lorries are coming round before most of Cornwall has finished breakfast this week. With hot weather forecast, Cornwall Council has told its crews to start their rounds earlier than usual, which means the bags and boxes left on the kerb at the normal time could be missed.

When the change applies

The earlier start runs from Tuesday 11 August to Friday 14 August. If your food waste, recycling, rubbish or garden waste is due to be collected on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of this week, the council is asking you to have it out by 6am.

That is earlier than many households are used to, so it is worth putting everything out the night before if a 6am start is a stretch.

📷Credit: Cornwall Council

Why crews are starting early

The change is about keeping collection teams safe while they work through the heat. Lifting bins and running rounds in high temperatures is hard going, and an earlier start means crews get more of the work done before the hottest part of the day.

“Thank you for helping us keep our crews safe in the heat,” the council said in its message to residents.

What to check before you leave it out

The change covers every stream, so food waste, recycling, rubbish and garden waste all fall under the same 6am guidance on the affected days. If you are not sure which day your street is collected, or you want to double-check your rounds, the details are on Cornwall Council’s recycling and waste pages.

Households that already put their bags and boxes out the evening before will not need to change much, beyond making sure everything is on the kerb by first light. The council has not said whether the early start will run into next week, so it is worth keeping an eye on the forecast.