Staff shortages have caused some Sydney councils to stop collecting bins, leaving rubbish overflowing on the street and infuriating residents.
Manufacturing, transport, postal, warehousing, and now waste collection are all undermanned with thousands of workers in Covid isolation.
The City of Canterbury Bankstown was the first to announce a delay in bin collection on December 31 as Covid cases reached tens of thousands.
Covid-19 staff shortages have began affecting waste collection services in some Sydney Councils with some residents faced with overflowing rubbish bins
'As Covid-19 cases increase, services and businesses across the country are being affected. This includes temporary delays with waste collection across Canterbury-Bankstown,' the council said.
'We're working hard to empty all bins as scheduled, with red bins being the priority.
'Please continue to put your bins out on their scheduled collection day. We may not pick them up at the usual time, however if they aren't emptied by 2pm, please report your missed bin.'
Days later Camden Council was forced to inform residents the surge in cases had also affected its services, with workers plunged into isolation or infected with Covid.
'Due to a number of our staff impacted by the recent Covid outbreak, we are currently experiencing some delays in our bin collection service,' it said.
'We are working hard to pick up all scheduled bins and minimise the impact on our residents.
'If your bins have not been collected, please leave them out and we will empty them as a priority. We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.'
The City of Canterbury Bankstown and Camden Council recently announced delays on rubbish collection services due to a rise in Covid-19 cases
Residents said their overflowing bins were left on the side of the road, and some said their rubbish wasn't collected at all.
'Three weeks in a row one of my bins didn't get picked up till the damn thing was that heavy the next bloke put a red tag on it saying it was too heavy. What a joke,' wrote one man.
'We actually got through and had someone come pick up the bin the following day … but didn't even shake the bin properly and didn't get the last bag of rubbish out. Super annoying and frustrating especially being a family of five,' another added.
Others were understanding of the situation and urged people to be more patient while Covid-19 wreaks havoc on services.
'Totally understand. This is only the start of this virus impacting business. As more people get this virus the more that it will put business behind in their service,' one wrote.
'Let's just hope
