Narrabri Council has confirmed two of the three local collections trucks were given the nod to return to service with a third waiting final approval to get back on the road.

The council said the service is a day and a half behind but collectors will work overtime, including on Saturday, to get back up to speed.

In Armidale, Council said its vehicles have passed the safety inspections with Wednesday's collection the first priority for today's run followed by Thursday's route and then the commercial businesses in the CBD after 5.30pm.

Tamworth Regional Council said its collectors are still working through the vehicle inspections.

Residents across the region are being reminded to keep their bins out for collection as the services slowly return.

YESTERDAY: Rubbish collection services around the region have ground to a halt indefinitely after Australia’s largest waste-management firm grounded its entire fleet following a fatal accident in South Australia.

Transpacific has taken its 2800 vehicles off the road for a safety audit after one of its trucks smashed into three stationary cars at a busy intersection in Adelaide on Monday. 

A man and woman died and two others, including the truck’s driver, were critically injured.

Tamworth Regional Council waste services manager Jonathon Beckett said Transpacific Cleanaway Regional had told council yesterday the collection trucks, which serviced the region, were undergoing safety checks and would resume service as soon as the process was completed.

Both waste and recycling collection services have been affected, as they have been in other council areas across the region, including Armidale Dumaresq and Moree Plains.

Mr Beckett said he was hopeful collections would start again soon, but in the meantime advised residents to leave all bins out awaiting the resumption of the service.

Transpacific chief executive officer Robert Boucher said it was a decision they hadn’t taken lightly, but felt was necessary in the wake of investigations by South Australian police of that state’s fleet of trucks and workshop.

“We have taken the decision ... to ground our entire fleet in order to conduct our own internal investigation and satisfy ourselves, the police and regulators, of the roadworthiness of our fleet and the adequacy of our maintenance program,” Mr Boucher said.

“... We believe it is the right thing to do given the serious nature of Monday’s accident.”

Mr Beckett said council would endeavour to clear the backlog of bin pick-ups as soon as possible.

He advised any residents wanting more information in the meantime to call the Waste Hotline on 1300 530 535.