Council announces changes to waste collections

A council has announced it is scrapping bottle banks, as part of a major shakeup of its recycling provision.

Central Bedfordshire residents will be able to recycle glass bottles and jars straight from home using bins and sacks, and people living in flats will get new weekly food waste collections.

The local council also confirmed that some people's bin days would change from 30 March, as some collection rounds were being reorganised to increase capacity in its new services.

Tracey Wye, the council's executive member for sustainability and climate resilience, said: "This is a major step forward in making recycling simpler and more consistent for residents."

Central Bedfordshire Council

The changes will enable people to put glass bottles and jars in kerbside dry recycling bins, alongside paper, card, cans, tins, aluminium foil, plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays and cartons.

Residents are being told to use existing bins with green or orange lids, or an orange sack if they have one.

Those who currently receive kerbside glass collection using a box will need to use a dry recycling bin instead.

Wye said: "Adding glass to dry recycling bins means no more trips to the bottle bank, while introducing food waste caddies for flats means every household can recycle food waste weekly."

Although a phased removal of bottle banks will take place, glass recycling will continue to be available at the authority's four Household Waste Recycling Centres.

Wye added that "including glass in recycling collections will increase the volume of material collected, which means additional vehicles are needed".

"To keep services running efficiently, we therefore need to reorganise some collection rounds."

Households will receive a letter explaining the new system, with updated collection dates due to be published on the council's website.

Food waste caddies and waste bins for people living in flats will be delivered from late February into mid March.

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