Wirral Council is reminding residents to take extra care when putting items in their grey bins, to help protect recycling staff against the spread of coronavirus.

The move has come following concerns raised by council workers about used tissues being discarded in the grey bin instead of the green general waste bin, but other items could also potentially spread infection.

A spokesperson for Wirral Council said: “Residents have been asked to follow national guidance that states anyone who feels ill at home (whether diagnosed with COVID-19 or not) should place all their waste, including recycling, in the general waste (green) bin, and should double-bag it, making sure the bags are securely tied. They should then wait at least 72 hours before placing it out for collection. This material should not be put in your recycling.

"We are relaying this information to the public to ensure that these measures are followed.”

Wirral Globe:

A council worker based at the recycling centre in Bidston also made an appeal on Facebook, pointing out that green bin waste goes direct to landfill but recycling contents are sorted through manually.