Changes to Bin Collection Days

Households in parts of County Durham are to have their rubbish and recycling collection day changed as part of moves to streamline the service.

Durham County Council is writing to around 55,000 properties in the Sedgefield, Teesdale and Wear Valley areas to advise of a change to their rubbish and recycling day from the week beginning Monday 9 October.

Some properties will experience a change in their collection day while others will see the weeks in which their recycling and rubbish bins are emptied reversed. Some properties will see changes to both day and week.

Changes are being made to collection routes to ensure the service is efficient, provides value for money and takes into account new housing developments in the county.

Each affected property will receive a letter and new collection calendar in the post, from today.

Collection times may also vary due to route changes so bins must be left out by 7am on the relevant days.

People who get help to put their bin out through the assisted collection scheme will still receive this service on their new day. Garden waste collection days are unaffected.

Households who accumulate extra waste while the changes are being rolled out should put it in a bag and leave it next to their rubbish bin for collection on their new day. Waste left next to rubbish bins after 20 October will not be collected.

Surplus recyclable materials should be put in clear bags only and left next to recycling bins on new collection days. Black bags are assumed to contain waste and therefore not picked up in recycling collections.

Oliver Sherratt, the council’s head of direct services, said: “We are continuing to streamline our rubbish and recycling collection routes to make them more efficient.

“Previous changes to routes in other parts of the county have worked well and residents have adapted to their new arrangements with ease.

“We will be supporting residents in Sedgefield, Teesdale and Wear Valley to ensure these changes go through smoothly.

“All affected households will be written to directly to explain the change to their collection arrangements.”

Cllr Brian Stephens, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local partnerships, added: “We appreciate bin collection changes may cause some small inconvenience in the short term as residents adapt to new bin days or collection weeks.

“I’d encourage residents to read their letters and calendars carefully so they know which day to put their bins out.

“Those who are affected should put their bin out as usual, by 7am, on their normal collection day until the changes come in on 9 October.”

From today, bin collection calendars can be downloaded electronically. Residents should enter their house number and postcode into the ‘My Durham’ section of www.durham.gov.uk.

Residents can find out about recycling, ordering of replacement bins, reporting a missed collection or booking to have bulky waste picked up, online at www.durham.gov.uk/recycling.

For locations and opening times of household waste recycling centres, visit www.durham.gov.uk/hwrc or call 03000 261 000.