Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) - 15 March 2016
Outline
From the week commencing the 6 June 2016, the days we collect waste and recycling will be changing. These changes however, will not affect all residents.
Below we have provided a list of frequently asked questions about the changes.
Key Messages
• The days which household recycling (green bin) and residual waste (black bin) is collected are likely to change and the changes will take effect in the week commencing 6 June 2016.
• The council will supply all residents and affected businesses with everything they need in advance to let them know their new collection days and to help them remember those new collection days for both bins.
• The time of the bin collections is also changing. Bins need to be ready for collection by 06.30hrs to ensure that they are emptied and left out until approximately 17.00hours or until the bin is emptied.
• We are implementing these collection day changes to ensure that we can continue to provide an effective waste and recycling service for increasing numbers of households and commercial properties.
• The proposed changes from week commencing 6 June 2016, are based around a move to a four day collection week, with no household waste collections being made on a Monday. This will mean that future collection dates will not have to be changed when a bank holiday falls on a Monday and fewer changes will result in fewer missed bins and an improved service for customers.
• The changes affect black and green wheeled bin collections; brown garden waste bin collections will not be affected. The assisted collection service will continue.
• We are the only Council in Norfolk that operates its own directly employed refuse and recycling collection service and over the last two years we have invested more than £2.5 million pounds in new vehicles and equipment in order to stay reliable, efficient and provide a safe working environment for our staff.
1. What changes are being made to the waste and recycling collections?
The days which household recycling (green bin) and residual waste (black bin) is collected are likely to change and the changes will take effect in the week commencing 6 June 2016.
2. Why is the Council making these changes?
We are making these changes because:
• There is a need to accommodate future planned household and commercial growth.
• The disposal facilities available to us have changed; this has given us the opportunity to adjust the collection routes to ensure they remain efficient.
3. What information will be supplied to residents?
An explanation of the changes features in an article in The Link magazine (page 15). Households will start to receive The Link in w/c 21 March.
Prior to the new days of collection commencing in 6 June 2016, residents will then receive three separate pieces of information provided to residents:
w/c 18 April – an A5 leaflet will be posted to all households explaining the reason for the collection day changes and what other information to look out for.
w/c 9 May – each household will receive a bin shaped calendar telling them their what their new recycling (green bin) and residual waste (black bin) days of collection will be form w/c 6 June 2016.
Some properties’ green bin will be collected on a different day of the week to the black bin in the following week and a very small quantity of households will have both bins collected on different days but in the same week. We will provide further details about these specific properties before w/c 9 May.
w/c 30 May – refuse and recycling crews will leave a bin hanger on each wheeled bin to remind residents that their collection day changes take effect in the following week.
Residents should also be encouraged to look up their new collection days for their green and the black bins via the council’s widget on the SNC website. This information will be available on our website, www.south-norfolk.gov.uk
4. What should residents do if they do not receive a bin shaped calendar?
If a collection day leaflet, with specific collection day information, is not received by the middle of May, a copy can be requested via the South Norfolk website.
If residents do not have access to the internet, then they can call us on: 01508 533633.
5. Will all residents’ bin days change?
Yes it is likely that most residents will have a change in their collection days for black waste and green recycling bins.
6. When should the bins be put out for collection and where should they be left?
The bins need to be available for collection by 06:30 hours on the new collection days to ensure that they can be emptied. Bins should be left at the edge of the premises closest to the public highway as per usual. To be safe, we are suggesting residents then leave their bins out until approximately 17.00 hours on the new collection day or until the collection has been undertaken.
7. What about Bank Holiday and Christmas collections?
Information regarding the Easter and Christmas Bank Holiday collections will be sent separately to residents later in the year.
8. Will commercial waste customers’ bin days change?
Yes, commercial premises whose waste or recycling is collected as part of a domestic collection round will change too as part of that new collection round. We will be making contact with each commercial premise beforehand however to limit the disruption for the business and to ensure this paid-for service meets the customers’ needs.
9. How will residents know when their bin is collected?
Residents will receive an orange, bin shaped leaflet and collection calendar in May, which will let them know the new collection days. We will also be providing bin stickers for the green and black bins. This information will be specific to each property.
10. Do these changes affect assisted collections?
No, the only change may be the day of the collection. Our collection crews will continue to collect bins from within properties.
11. Do these changes affect garden waste collections?
No, any collection day changes will only apply for the waste and recycling collections for the time being.
12. How will the changes affect residents who live in flats?
The collection days for the bins may change and residents will be sent information containing their new collection details. Nothing else about the collections will change.
13. What if further information is needed on the waste and recycling service?
If further information or guidance is needed, the South Norfolk Council website can be visited at www.southnorfolk.gov.uk/recycling or call 01508 533633.
