A “significant” portion of Bermuda’s trash was collected this week by back-up crews, the Government said tonight.

And normal trash collection is to resume on Monday after the Ministry of Public Works put extra contingency plans in place.

Government trash collectors downed tools last week after a worker who returned from abroad before quarantine conditions were imposed went back to work.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works said today: “With the limited equipment available, collecting all the refuse from every residence across the island was an impossible task.

“The simple reason being, an open-back truck carries a half a tonne of garbage whereby a fully loaded compactor truck carries up to four-and-a-half tonnes.”

The spokesman added: “Despite the daunting challenge before us, we persevered and were able to reach most of the island and collect a significant volume of garbage.”

He thanked the corporations of Hamilton and St George, as well as private companies Hunt’s Sanitation Services, Talbot Enterprises and a “slew of private truckers who selflessly volunteered their services” to pick up a backlog of garbage.

The spokesman said the Waste Management Section had put contingency plans in place to “ensure garbage collection in Bermuda will be back on track in short order”.