Guidelines published ahead of new bin collections coming in

Clear, consistent standards which set out what the Council – and residents – can do to help the city get cleaner and greener have been published.

A policy document has been put together so that crews and residents are given clear guidelines about how, when and where to put bins and bags out as well as reminding people about what to recycle.

The policy is part of the Council’s plans to modernise its street scene and waste service and from Monday 8 May 2017 the city will move to alternate weekly collections with recyclables – in the green bins – collected one week and the following week non-recyclable waste – in brown bins – will be collected.

This system has already been running successfully in a number of cities across the UK for many years. The aim is to increase recycling rates and run a smoother and more efficient, cost effective service for local residents.

Councillor Mike Leaves, Cabinet Member for Street Scene and the Environment, said: “This guidance is crucial. It sets out expectations for our crews and for our residents.

“As part of moving to an alternate weekly collection, we need to make it as easy as possible for people to do the right thing. We also want to make it clear to our teams what we expect them to do.”

Councillor Leaves added: “We know alternate weekly collections will be a big change for a lot of people and we hope having clear guide lines will help us all – both our crews and residents. It means that if people consistently ignore these guidelines we can take action and they will help us ensure our performance is the best it can be.”

In terms of how bins should be put out residents are being asked to:

Put recycling and waste only in containers provided by the Council.
Please not put recycling in plastic bags or bin bags – if crews cannot see the recycling they will assume it is rubbish
Put items loose into the container and rinse bottles and jars
Close bin lids so they can be emptied safely, to prevent littering and waste being spread by rodents, seagulls and other pests.
Not overload container, making them too heavy or difficult for collectors to safely manoeuvre.
Not leave black bags or waste items by the side of waste containers to prevent littering and waste from being spread by pests.
Manage their waste in the bins allocated or contact the service for advice. Action will be taken against those who repeatedly leave additional rubbish at the side of their bin
Put their bins at the collection point which will be set out in a letter being delivered shortly. For most households, this will be at the kerb in front of the property, where the container is easily seen. Where collections cannot easily be made from the kerb, we will identify other collection points and let you know where to put out your bin.
Ensure containers are at the designated collection point by 6.30am on collection day but not before 6pm the night before. We will publicise where collection points are and the day of collection on our website.
Bring in their bin. Bins left out between collections can have a significant impact on local communities, making pavements difficult to navigate, particularly for those with disabilities and those who use a pram. It can also affect the appearance of an area. Bins must be returned to within the boundary of the property or designated storage area by the end of the collection day. Action will be taken against those who repeatedly leave their bins out.

Roadshows are already underway to raise awarness of the changes and a letter detailing the changes will also be sent to people's doors shortly.

As part of the modernisation of the service, the Street Services and Waste teams will work more closely together to look after recycling, waste collections, grass cutting, street cleansing, and deal with issues such as fly-tipping.

.The policy is being published under delegated authority and is subject to call in