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When will my recycling/non-recyclable
waste be collected?
All your recycling boxes and brown wheeled bin will be emptied every
week on the same day and non-recyclable waste will be collected on
the same day fortnightly.
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- If I just put out a rubbish bag will it be collected?
No. Your non-recyclable waste must be in a wheeled bin. A waste wheeled bin
will contain any smells and prevent problems with vermin. As the waste crew
will be smaller, wheeled bins must also be used to save time.
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Can I still put plastic bags in the new waste
wheeled bin?
Yes. The waste in the waste wheeled bin will still be going to landfill so just
treat it like your old rubbish bin. We advise you to put your non-recyclable
waste in a plastic bag before putting it in the green wheeled bin.
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Will the recycling and non-recyclable waste collectors receive training?
Bexley
is committed to providing its residents with the best customer care and
we will ensure our collectors receive full and regular training.
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I already have a waste wheeled bin for
my non-recyclable waste - can I use that?
Yes. Each property will be offered a waste wheeled bin for
their non-recyclable waste. If you already have
a waste wheeled bin, you can continue to use it, and the Council
will offer you a home compost bin as an alternative. This will be in a leaflet
which will be delivered to you 6 weeks before the service starts in your area.
We will however only empty one waste wheeled bin per household.
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Can I continue to use my non-wheeled waste
dustbin?
No. We will only empty waste from one waste wheeled bin. If you have
no use for your old non-wheeled dustbin, you will be able
to recycle it at our reuse and recycling sites.
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Can I have an extra non-recyclable waste wheeled
bin?
Only one non-recyclable waste wheeled bin will be
emptied from each household every fortnight.
If you have capacity problems, we have a team of advisers who will
be able to contact you by phone or visit you and help sort your recycling from
your non-recyclable waste at home. If our advisers cannot sufficiently reduce
your non-recyclable waste by recycling, then we will provide you
with a larger wheeled bin.
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- What if I can't fit all my non-recyclable
waste in to one waste wheeled bin?
Up to 80% of the waste a household products can be recycled.
Once you have sorted all your recycling into your brown
bin and recycling boxes there should be plenty of room for your non-recyclable
waste in the waste wheeled bin provided.
If you have problems, we have a team of advisers who will
be able to visit you and help sort your recycling from your
non-recyclable waste. If our advisers cannot
sufficiently reduce your non-recyclable waste by recycling, then
we will provide your household with a larger wheeled bin.
If you are having a big clear out, the extra waste can be
taken to the reuse and recycling centres - up to 500 kg per
year per household.
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Will I be able to leave non-recyclable waste beside
the bin in black sacks or leave the lid open?
No. The Council will only collect non-recyclable waste that is in
the wheeled bin with a closed lid.
This is important as it limits the amount of waste which is
thrown away and will encourage residents to use our recycling
services. By shutting the lid potential problems with smells
and flies will be significantly reduced.
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What happens at Christmas and the New Year Holidays?
Over the Christmas and New Year holiday period the Council will
keep to the advertised schedule as closely as possible.
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Will my new wheeled bin have a 'chip' in it?
No. Bexley does not plan
to charge for waste collection so there is no need to put a chip in the
wheeled bin.
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Will my non-recyclable
waste wheeled bin smell?
Odours are generally associated with food waste which should be
put in your brown wheeled bin that will be collected weekly.
However, make sure your waste bags are tied up properly, placed
in the non-recyclable waste wheeled bin with the lid closed
and kept out of direct sunlight.
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- What should I do about maggots in my bin?
During the summer months it is very important to prevent flies having access to your rubbish by wrapping and keeping it in a closed container.
If you have maggots in your bins please try rinsing out emptied bins with any one of the following (please follow instructions on the packaging and never mix chemicals):
- hot soapy water
- a pressure washer
- hot water with vinegar
- hot water with lemon juice
- or using very light dusting of an insect powder (ant powder) that contains
an insecticide called Permethrin (please check the label).
Prevent more maggots by reducing the time you keep any food or food packaging left in the open. Keep your rubbish in a closed container (like a bin with a lid), empty your bins inside frequently, wrap food in newspaper or paper bags to put in the brown bin, contain refuse in plastic bags, and keep all bin lids shut and out of direct sunlight.
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We are a large family that produces a lot of waste, what are our options?
Houses where six or more people live could have their waste wheeled bin changed
to a larger container. You will need to fill out a request form so we can consider
your needs. This will be in a leaflet which will be delivered to you 6 weeks
before the service starts in your area.
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How will we cope with the nappies and incontinent pads our
family produces?
Nappies and incontinent pads should be sealed in plastic bags
and placed in your non-recyclable waste wheeled
bin.
If you don't have enough space in your wheelie bin, please contact us so we can discuss how we can help you.
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Can I have a smaller waste wheeled bin?
Yes. Households can request a smaller waste wheeled bin. Please fill
out a request form which will be in a leaflet delivered to you 6 weeks before
the service starts in your area.
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- What if my recycling won’t fit in the boxes?
As your recycling will now all be collected weekly, you should
find you have more space. Make sure you have squashed your
cans/plastic bottles to reduce the space they take up.
If you have extra garden waste, brown paper sacks can be
purchased from the libraries for 20p each. Up to 5 brown
paper sacks per week can be placed next to your brown bin
for collection.
Extra paper or plastic bottles and cans you want to recycle
can be placed in separate open plastic bags next to the relevant
boxes for collection.
Once your collections have changed, if you still find that
you regularly run out of space for a particular material, please
contact us to order an extra box.
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Why has my recycling not been collected?
It is important for us that the recyclable material we collect
is not contaminated with the wrong materials. When this
happens a whole 'load' of recycling from lots of properties could be
rejected and sent to landfill.
Our collection crews have been instructed not to empty any contaminated
containers. A member of our team will contact you to
explain and advise on how to separate your non-recyclable waste and recycling
correctly.
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I’ve forgotten what recycling the Council collects?
Households
in Bexley can have the 4 containers for their recycling
for free:
Green box – paper
and cardboard
Black box – glass bottles and jars
Maroon box – plastic bottles and cans
Brown wheeled bin – food and garden waste
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I have lost my recycling box, what do I do?
If you have lost a recycling
box, please call us so we can arrange for a new delivery or complete this
form.
We are also happy to offer help and advice with any waste and recycling questions
you may have.
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Why can't I recycle all plastic containers?
There are over 50 different types of plastic. There is currently only a market
for the three types that plastic bottles are made of, as these are good quality
and can be recycled into more plastic bottles easily. We are unable to recycle
the other types at present.
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What if my brown bin smells?
The brown wheeled bin for food & garden waste will be collected
every week, so all food waste including meat can be recycled here. Lining
kitchen caddies with newspaper and then folding the top over will reduce
bad smells. Alternatively, paper caddy liners (5p each) are available
for purchase at all libraries and Council offices. Make sure the lid
on your kitchen caddy and brown wheeled bin is always closed and try
to keep them out of direct sunlight.
The information leaflets that we send to you will explain how
you can minimise smells.
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What bags can I use in my brown bin?
Please only use newspaper and paper bags to wrap up any food scraps for the brown bin, and paper bags are sold at cost price from Bexley libraries. Please be aware that starch/plastic bags are not able to be collected in residents’ brown bins due to problems with contamination and because the processors that takes Bexley's food and garden waste are very strict and will only accept material that bio-degrades in their facility.
Unfortunately, some biodegradable bags for food waste can look quite similar to plastic bags, especially if they are partially buried in a brown wheeled bin. As a result we made the decisions a number of years ago that only food waste placed in paper bags or wrapped in news paper would be accepted from residents. This avoids any confusion about what is biodegradable and what is plastic. Even if your starch bags have previously been collected, we have reminded our crew not to collect bags other than paper so any contaminated brown bins will be left uncollected.
The plant will reject loads where there is significant contamination. Each lorry load we deliver to them will contain collections from thousands of houses. It would be huge waste if plastic bag contamination meant that this had to be land filled and not recycled.
It would be a huge waste if plastic bag contamination meant that this had to be land filled and not recycled.
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