The Commissioners have received contact from residents in regard to neighbours who have lit bonfires in recent days. Please could all residents note the following advice from the Government’s Covid-19 web information site:
“The Isle of Man Government is appealing for people to support their neighbours as well as the emergency services by not lighting bonfires during the COVID-19 crisis.
“”The Isle of Man Government is not looking to ban garden fires at this time but people are asked to avoid burning domestic and garden waste as it can be dangerous and cause a nuisance to those living nearby.
“Bonfires can cause a problem for neighbours, who might be self-isolating, and at home more often than usual. The Isle of Man Government is urging residents to temporarily store any excess waste until restrictions are lifted and it can be disposed of at their nearest amenity site.
“Although household bonfires are not illegal, household waste including DIY waste, plastics and treated wood should not be burnt as they can produce toxic smoke.
“If you do have a bonfire, the simple act of informing the Emergency Services Joint Control Room (ESJCR) reduces the risk of crews turning out to false alarms.
Bring Banks to be opened by DoI over the next few days. They are currently taped up. Please do not access them until the tape is removed.
Please use them wisely and do not leave recyclables beside them if they are full. Your assistance will be much appreciated by DoI and our staff who will have to be diverted to clear them up if misused.
DoI understand how frustrating this has been for everyone and thank you for your co-operation.
17th April 2020 Refuse Collection Update
A great big thank you to all residents from the Commissioners and the Kinrade Brothers for assisting with the delivery of the refuse collection. Allan and Dave report that although tonnages have increased – as expected – everyone is doing their best to ensure their bins can be collected easily and safely. Our aim is to make sure that the crew only have to touch wheelie bin handles to get the bin on the hoist – cleaning your bin’s handles before and after collection will also be a big help.
All your efforts will help to ensure that the excellent service given by the Kinrade crew is maintained without resort to the planned contingencies.
If you have any queries with the refuse collection, please contact Martin or Pete by emailing admin@garff.im or telephoning 861241 or 422148.
Once again, a Great Big Thank You to all Residents!
Useful Numbers
| Helpline | Telephone Number |
| Symptoms & Testing | 111 https://covid19.gov.im/ |
| Non-medical Government Information Line | 686262
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| Garff Commissioners Office Services | 861241 / 422148 admin@garff.im |
| Laxey Lifeline – Community help group serving Laxey, Lonan, & Maughold residents, assistance with shopping, getting medication, and any other matters. | 474747
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| Covid Business Support line | 686455 |
Ramsey Police Station |
812234 |
PRODUCE DELIVERYLists of food businesses on the Island that are providing home delivery/collection services in the East and across the Island can be accessed via this link:
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Refuse Guidelines – to minimise the contact with waste materials for our contractor’s roundsmen, please observe the following:
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| Bring Banks Currently Closed – please store your recyclables if possible to avoid running out of space in your wheelie bin |
| Civic Amenity Sites Currently Closed |
| Garff Commissioners’ Office Closed – please call 861241 or 422148 (email admin@garff.im) if you have any query. We are operating full office support remotely from home and can respond and resolve any concern or request for information. |
Self-Isolating & Self-Distancing |
Information on Self-Isolating can be found on the Government’s Covid-19 Web Site: https://covid19.gov.im/general-information/stay-at-home-self-isolation/ |
Information on Social-Distancing can be found on the Government’s Covid-19 Web Site: https://covid19.gov.im/general-information/social-distancing/ |
Residents of Maughold, Lonan, & Laxey
If you are self isolating or need advice. If you know someone who’s is self-isolating and needs help in any way, then call 474747
This will get you through to the ‘Laxey Helpline’. If this is busy please call Garff Commissioners on 861241, they will also assist with practical help or advice.
The volunteers and the Commissioners are particularly keen to hear from any Members of the community whose friends or family are unable to assist them at this difficult time. (full details in the leaflet below).
2020 Garff Events
For obvious reasons several events across the Sheading will not be going ahead this year.
Laxey Fair has been cancelled, as has the Duck Race, ‘Prash Laxaa.The Great Laxey Brass Band Festival’. The fledgling ‘Summer Concert Series’ is also looking unlikely.
Maughold Parish Social Club advise that a decision on Maughold’s Parish Day scheduled for July 18th 2020 will be made in the coming weeks.
For 2020, Laxey Central and Laxey Lifeline have become a great source for live entertainment – take a scroll down their pages for some great local music!
Consultation with the Commissioners’ Refuse Collection contractor, Kinrade Bros. Haulage, has been ongoing since the beginning of the current Coronavirus situation.As a consequence of meetings yesterday, this update and request for assistance is being issued to residents:
– Reducing direct staff contact with waste materials –
The aim of the following measures is to ensure that the roundsmen are able to mechanically ‘tip’ the maximum amount of waste. This will reduce the amount of times they are asked to come into direct hand-contact with waste bags and materials.
The principal refuse vehicles have remote ‘tipping’ facilities, whilst properties in remote areas (or areas with narrow lanes, etc.) are serviced by a much smaller vehicle which does not have ‘tip’ facilities. This means that staff have to handle the waste by hand.
Please note the following if you live in a property serviced by the small vehicle:1. It is vital that your all your refuse is enclosed in bags that are sturdy and fit for purpose. Please continue to bag securely and ensure that the bags are tied firmly and not punctured. It would assist further if double-bagging occurred.
2. For the duration of the current emergency some residents may be approached and asked to leave their wheelie-bin beside a road that can be accessed by a ‘tipping’ vehicle. This action will reduce the amount of ‘hand-contact’ that the roundsmen have with waste-bags.
– Side Waste will not be collected –
3. The Commissioners have instructed the contractor that they must not pick up side-bags or side-waste from beside wheelie-bins. If side-waste is put out it will not be collected, however a note will be left explaining that the waste can be placed into the newly emptied wheelie-bin by the resident prior to it being collected the following week.
– Wheelie-bin handles & lids –
4. Please clean your bin’s handles with disinfectant/anti-bacterial products prior to and post collection.
5. The Commissioners request that residents ensure that lids on Wheelie-bins are fully down prior to collection.
– Ensuring the current service continues —
All these actions are intended to safeguard the well-being of the roundsmen so that refuse collection can remain resilient and continue as normal throughout this very difficult period.
There are other contingencies that will be put into place if necessary, but the current provision is clearly the best option for delivery of this essential service through the coming weeks and months.
The Commissioners are acutely aware of the pressures, particularly on larger households, but request that every effort is made to compact refuse so that lids are down and wheelie bins do not overflow. Further contingency measures are also being discussed across the local authority and government networks.
Further updates will be issued in due course.
The Commissioners thank you in anticipation of your assistance at this time.
Further details for those with symptoms of Covid-19, or and those who need to self-isolate are on www.gov.im/coronavirus.
For those in either situation the site directs you to some ‘Stay at Home’ Advice from the UK. There are two links:
https://www.nhs.uk/…/coronavirus-cov…/self-isolation-advice/
