"With self-isolation and crew bubble requirements still in place the amount of staff available to work can vary day to day," it said.
Crews have dealt with "hundreds of tonnes" of additional rubbish during the pandemic, said bosses, and have to collect around 500,000 household receptacles around Leeds each week.
The amount of bin collections that fall to the council is more than in other local authorities due to the fact that Leeds has not suspended garden waste collections as others have.
Councillor Mohammed Rafique, the member for environment and housing, said there was "no way you can manage the service without having that extra resource".
"We had additional pressures in August but we have overcome them now."
A report has since been released attributing the overspend to the cost of additional staffing cover at household waste recycling centres, the need for additional crews and vehicles, and extra disposal costs.
The news comes as Leeds launches into a campaign that centres around recycling as part of its annual Leeds Recycle Week.
Now in its 18th year, the campaign hopes to encourage locals to recycle their small old electricals - which contain a large percentage of precious materials like gold, silver and copper.
This kind of waste is one of the fastest-growing in the UK with over 155,000 tonnes of waste electricals being thrown away each year.
The campaign is being run in partnership with Material Focus, a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to stop the nation throwing away or hoarding all their old small electricals.
Scott Butler, Material Focus, Executive Director, said:
“Small, old electricals are one of the fastest growing waste streams and we are throwing away valuable materials that are lost forever. These small old, unwanted electricals contain 75 per cent of materials that can be recycled or reused such as precious materials like gold, silver and copper.
“HypnoCat our messenger for the campaign will be providing step-by-step information on how to reuse and recycle old electricals. We want everyone to know that all old electricals - that’s everything with a plug, battery or cable - can be recycled.
“We are delighted to be working with Leeds City council and are calling on residents to stop throwing away their old electricals, and instead put them in a bag ready to be recycled drop them off at your nearest recycling point.”
Feature image - Pxfuel.com
Leeds
Leeds’ first sauna and ice bath cafe is coming to the city centre this spring
Get ready to take the plunge Leeds, as a community-led sauna and ice bath concept is on its way.
Hidden behind a railway arch in Saxton Gardens, Kontrast is gearing up to bring its popular sauna and ice bath concept to the city.
Following the huge success of its Manchester site, Kontrast Leeds will combine saunas, ice baths and a cafe designed to bring wellness into everyday life.
The Leeds space will feature two traditional saunas, one infrared saunas and four ice baths each varying in temperature between 3 and 13 degrees.
Images: Supplied
Plunge pools can be enjoyed solo or shared, depending on what guests choose, giving people the opportunity to shape each session around exactly what they need that day.
To suit different moods and preferences, Kontrast Leeds will include both a social sauna and a silent sauna, giving guests the option to come for conversation or reflection.
Single sessions will cost just £12 for 45 minutes, with 90-minute sessions from £20.
Image: Supplied
Known for making sauna and ice feel more accessible, welcoming and community-driven, Kontrast has grown beyond regular sessions to become a base for recurring events. These include their live ambient DJ set event, Unwind, which celebrates local talent, and their weekly run club, both of which the team hopes to bring to Leeds as part of building a similar sense of community in the city.
The Leeds site builds on everything the team has learned from Kontrast in Manchester.
Alongside the core sauna, Ice, cafe offering, the new site will include improved facilities, more spacious sauna provision and additional ice baths meaning more room for people to get involved.
Myles Smith announces HUGE arena gig in Leeds this year
Thomas Melia
Singer-songwriter Myles Smith has just announced his biggest headline tour and is set to play a huge arena gig in Leeds this year.
Quit ‘Stargazing’ and get ready to fight for tickets as Myles Smith has just announced he’ll be visiting Leeds later this year for his biggest arena gig to date.
Known for hits like ‘Nice To Meet You’, ‘Stay (If You Wanna Dance)’ and ‘Wait For You’, this BRIT School graduate is now heading on the road for some headline shows across the UK.
Recognised for his folk-pop sound, Smith has built quite a name for himself just three or so years into his career, with solo efforts and a few collaborations under his belt.
Myles Smith is heading to First Direct Bank Arena, Leeds, on tour this year / Credit: Press shots (supplied)
Recently, the Luton-born artist collaborated with some well-known names like Shaboozey on their track ‘Blink Twice’ and even features on a new single from former One Direction member Niall Horan titled ‘Drive Safe’.
It was only last year that the ‘Stargazing’ songwriter visited Leeds, bringing his high-energy hits to O2 Academy back in February.
Now, Smith is ready to tackle an arena crowd and has chosen Leeds First Direct Bank Arena and is expected to raise the roof when 13,500 fans flock to the star’s show this winter.
Titled after his upcoming album My Mess, My Life, My Heart, Smith will be playing a variety of well-known and brand new hits when he makes his way up North.
Fans who are signed up to the official artist presale can get exclusive access to tickets from Wednesday, 25 March at 10am, with the window closing on Friday, 27 March at 9am.
Meanwhile, general admission tickets go live by 10 am that same Friday (27 Mar).
Myles Smith is embarking on his ‘My Mess, My Life, My Heart’ tour this winter and visiting First Direct Bank Arena, Leeds on Sunday 8 November – tickets and more info HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
24th September 2021 
