Local authorities have been urged to provide regular information on the impact Covid-19 is having on waste services.

Led by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT), the online survey will be sent out on a weekly basis to begin with, with the data fed back to Defra.

Ian Fielding, chair of ADEPT’s Waste Group, said: ‘At present, many local authorities are operating their waste and recycling services as normal, but we recognise that the situation may change quickly.

‘We know that everyone is hard pressed, so the survey is simple and will only take a minute to complete. It has been designed to provide a snapshot and captures valuable information on a range of services, including domestic collections, recycling centres, transfers stations and energy from waste facilities, and records the level of impact on each.’