Council to begin rolling out food waste collection
LDRSA food waste collection service will be rolled out across County Durham throughout spring and summer.
Leaflets are currently being posted out to households explaining how the new collection process will work.
The government had required all local authorities to introduce the new measures by the end of March, but more than a quarter of councils in England are set to miss the deadline - including Durham County Council.
It said it had faced "challenges" in rolling out the scheme to 250,000 households, including obtaining new vehicles and bins.
James Gilchrist, head of environment for the Reform-run local authority, said there was a "detailed plan" for the collections.
Each household will receive two new bins: an external caddy to be kept outside and another caddy for inside.
The food waste containers will be collected every week.
Residents will also be asked to put glass bottles, jars, and other items into the main blue-lidded recycling bin instead of the separate recycling caddy when the new measures are enforced.
"Being one of the largest local authorities in the country with approximately 250,000 properties, this roll-out is not a simple process," Gilchrist said.
"The industry across the country has faced inevitable challenges in the supply chain for vehicles, caddies and the delivery of those caddies to residents.
"We have experienced some of these challenges, but we have an agreed plan with our supply chain and we look forward to delivering this service."
Food waste collections will be the same as rubbish and recycling days but at a different time.
It is estimated the service will be in place by 31 July.
Households will receive information with their new bins telling them when their collections will start.
