Southend-on-Sea City Council is asking residents to put their bins out earlier than usual on Thursday 13 August and Friday 14 August to help protect waste collection crews from high temperatures.
The Met Office has issued an amber Heat Health Alert for much of England, with temperatures expected to rise across the week and peak in the South East later this week.
In response, and to help protect staff working in high temperatures, SUEZ collection crews will begin their rounds from 6am on Thursday 13 August and Friday 14 August.
Normal collection times are expected to resume from Monday 17 August. However, if the hot weather continues, the earlier start times may be extended. Residents will be updated if this happens.
Residents are asked to support crews by ensuring all scheduled waste, including wheelie bins, food caddies, recycling boxes and sacks, are placed out for collection by 6am on both Thursday and Friday.
Councillor Daniel Cowan, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Local Government Reorganisation, said:
"Our crews carry out physically demanding work and provide a vital service to residents. Starting earlier in the day helps reduce their exposure to high temperatures and ensures collections can continue safely.
We are asking residents to play their part by putting their bins out earlier than usual. This will help us maintain collections while minimising the impact of the hot weather on our teams."
Efforts will be made to keep noise disruption to a minimum during the earlier collection times.
Residents can also sign up for collection notifications and reminders through the Southend Waste App, which has already been downloaded by nearly 49,000 people.
Find out more on our resident recycling and waste bin app page.