Last week's change over to the District's new refuse and recycling service saw a mammoth change from sacks and boxes to new wheeled bins, changes to collection days, and a new and improved recycling service in an effort to reduce waste going to landfill.
Refuse changes of this scale have not been experienced in the District since 1994. Whilst every complaint is regrettable, in the first week more than 100,000 collections were made from over 52,000 properties across the District, which covers 97,787 hectares (one of the largest rural districts in the Country). Of these, the Council received less than 1% complaints of missed bin collections.
"Last week was just the start of a journey in making continual improvement to this key service for residents. Despite a promising start, there were some glitches that might reasonably be expected to arise from introducing this new system to 52,000 households dispersed across what is one of the largest districts in the Country. These are being addressed by the Officers and our partner, Verdant. Meanwhile, I would like to thank residents for their positive response to the changes made," said Councillor Simon Jackson, Portfolio Holder for Environment.
"Reducing the amount of waste going to landfill remains a priority for the Council. This has been a central theme of the concerted communication programme promoted by Council Officers during the run-up to the introduction of the new system. Their efforts have been invaluable in aiding understanding and support for the new arrangements as borne out by the uptake of them so far.
"Given time, these arrangements provide the opportunity for us to have one of the best recycling rates in the UK, whilst offering residents an improved, value for money service"
Pete Dickson, Verdant development director, added: "A huge amount of planning has gone into the new service and we're pleased with the way things have gone. There are always some problems at the start of a new contract, but very few in this case. I'd like to thank all residents for their wholehearted response to the new scheme as their support is really important. Just remember - if there's a problem, please let us know so we can fix it!"
The new services comprises:
· the Grey Bin for general and food waste will be collected every week;
· recyclable materials in the Blue Lid Bin will be collected every other week and now include cardboard, cartons (such as Tetra Pak) and plastic bottles;
· the Green Bin for green garden waste will be collected every other week until November when the collection will be suspended during the winter months.
From August, a maximum of two green bins will be collected from each property. Officers have been out and about at a variety of community events in Stratford District from May through to August with the 'Are you ready?' roadshow telling people about the changes to the service and giving out explanation leaflets. For further information or help sorting out your new collection day, please contact the District Council's refuse and recycling information line on 01789 260925 or visit the website on www.stratford.gov.uk/bins
