From 25th September to early November, B&NES Council will deliver wheeled bins or re-usable rubbish bags to around 78,000 households, due to a change in the way it collects rubbish across the area.
The Council will soon be collecting rubbish every other week in wheeled bins or re-usable bags for the majority of residents. The changes are expected to keep the streets cleaner, increase recycling and make the services more affordable.
Recycling, including food waste, will continue to be collected weekly. The chargeable garden waste collections will remain every other week.
Residents are advised to continue to put out your rubbish as you normally do until the new collection starts.
It is important that you do not use your new wheeled bin or re-usable rubbish bag until the new collection starts as the Council won’t be able to collect it.
Councillor Bob Goodman (Conservative, Combe Down), Cabinet Member for Development & Neighbourhoods, said: “The Council has held over 100 recycling roadshows and talks across Bath and North East Somerset between September 2016 and August 2017, to help our residents to get ready for the changes – which will help encourage people to recycle more, keep streets clean and save money.
“In addition, we’ve listened to those residents who have asked for a change to their bin allocation, and we have made a number of changes, where possible, in response to their individual circumstances. In over half the cases, processed so far, where residents have requested a different bin or bag, the Council has agreed to this request.”
The wheeled bins will be delivered to the front edge of your property with a printed address label on the back and a welcome pack tucked into the lid. It is fine if you wish to decorate your bin, such as adding a bin wrap or painting your house number on, but the bin does remain the property of the Council.
If you have been allocated a re-usable rubbish bag it will be delivered to your door and your welcome pack put through your letter box. If you already have a re-usable rubbish bag, use your new one from 6th November. The Council will collect old re-useable bags at the end of October so that everyone is using the best containers for the new service.
Your welcome pack will include:
- An 8 page leaflet with full information on how to use the new service and a reminder of all the things you can recycle each week
- A new collection calendar for 2017-18 showing your collection day and Christmas collection information – check carefully as your collection day is likely to have changed. To help you get used to your new collection day you can sign up for texts for the first 3 months to remind you when your collection is due. Text your postcode to 07520 631700 to receive a reminder.
- Two stickers for you to put on your green boxes to help you sort your recycling.
You can check whether you have been allocated a bin or bag by entering your address at www.bathnes.gov.uk/recycle or contacting Council Connect.
If you have a query with your allocation , contact the Council Connect waste enquiry line on 01225 39 40 00. Where households have 2 or more children in nappies, 6 or more people in their household or a clear medical need they may be able to apply for a larger bin.
Council Connect will talk through your needs, and then if appropriate pass on your request for a change of container. They will contact you to let you know the outcome of your request. In the meantime, your original allocated container will be delivered to you before the start of the new collection. If they agree to issue an alternative container, they will then exchange them.
Why are the changes being introduced?
- To recycle more:
Bath & North East Somerset Council has a very comprehensive recycling collection service where you can already recycle 17 different types of household waste every week, but some residents could recycle more.
About 75% of a household’s waste can be recycled using the current collections, but over half of an average rubbish bag consists of items that could have been recycled.
The change will also help to encourage everyone to use their food recycling collection – only about 50% of households currently use this. About a third of the waste in black sacks currently is food.
- To keep our streets cleaner:
Containing rubbish in a bin will prevent animals and birds ripping open plastic bags and making a mess which is unpleasant for everyone and costly to clear up.
- To save money:
Every lorry load of waste costs £1,000 to dispose of whilst every lorry load of recycling earns an income of £100. So reducing the amount put out as rubbish is essential, because the amount of money the Council has to spend is reducing significantly overall.