Snow ploughing and gritting are going well, but it's slow progress.

Hafnarfjörður council staff and all contractors under contract with the municipality began snow clearance and gritting at 4 a.m. this morning. Gritters are working in all neighbourhoods of the town and the work is progressing well, but slowly as the snow is wet and heavy. There are small drifts of snow in many places on the roads, so smaller cars may have difficulty getting about at the start of the day and for some time afterwards. Residents are kindly asked to clear snow from their rubbish chutes and to clear the way for the refuse collection crews to the grey and blue bins, so that they can be emptied.

Main reasons why a rubbish bin cannot be emptied:

• Snow not cleared from rubbish bins
• The way out to the road hasn't been cleared and gritted.
• Rubbish bin frozen to the ground
• Frozen doors and cannot be opened wide
• Frozen locks on rubbish storage rooms and facilities
• Cars that obstruct staff and refuse lorry access
• Incorrectly sorted into the rubbish bin
• Broken dustbin or missing wheel assembly

Loading in line with a predefined priority order

Clearing is being carried out in line with priorities, with the emphasis always on keeping main roads and collector roads open. Bus routes and main roads are clear, and work is underway to clear side streets and footpaths. Clearing of grounds at the town's schools and institutions, and of main footpaths, is largely complete. Further clearing will take place today and in the coming days, or as the weather permits.

General information about snow clearance in Hafnarfjörður

In winter, when there is heavy snowfall or ice forms, efforts are made to respond as quickly as possible to keep traffic moving. The Hafnarfjörður Service Centre is responsible for snow clearance and gritting, and operates a rota from 15 October to 15 May. April, and as a rule, an effort is made to maintain a good service on roads and paths from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (depending on priority), but the weather dictates the service hours. Contractors are called in when needed during peak periods. The roads are divided into priority categories – how well the gritting works is then determined by the weather and prevailing conditions:

• Priority 1 – main roads, bus routes and arterial roads
• Priority 2 – routes to schools, nurseries, collector roads and minor roads
• Priority 3 – cul-de-sacs and dead-end roads

Information on snow clearance and priority routes

Information on rubbish collection