Garden waste to be collected between 18th – 30th October across Central Bedfordshire
One off collection to clear backlog but no food collection
Central Bedfordshire Council are reminding all residents that they will be undertaking a one off garden waste collection during a two-week period in October. This collection will help to clear the backlog of waste in residents’ garden waste bins before the winter period*.
Garden waste will be collected between 18 October and the 30 October. To facilitate this, drivers are being redeployed from the usual weekly food waste collections for two weeks. Food waste will not be collected during this time. During this period, please home compost your food waste where possible, fill your food waste bin ready for when collections resume, or dispose of it in your black bin (double bagging food waste can help reduce odours).
During this two-week window, residents are asked to place their garden waste bin, or their two council issued bags, at the kerbside from 7am for a one-off collection. This should be done on the same week and day that residents have their recycling collected. Food waste collections will resume, as normal, after the two-week period from Monday 1 November.
Due to the high volumes of garden waste expected, collection crews will only collect from garden waste bins, or two council-issued bags and will not collect any additional waste. The council can’t return if residents forget to put out their bin/bags. If your road isn’t visited on the scheduled day, crews will return as soon as they can, so residents are asked to continue to leave their bin/bags out.
Cllr Ian Dalgarno, Executive Member for Community Services, said: “We are delighted to be able to collect the backlog of garden waste. I would like to once again thank residents for their patience and understanding over the past couple of months and apologise for the difficulties the suspension has raised for residents.
“To help us manage the expected volume of garden waste that needs collecting, residents can continue to help us ease the demand by disposing of their garden waste at one of our tidy tips where possible, or by taking up our offer of a subsidised home composting bin. Some food waste such as vegetable peelings and tea bags can also be home composted during the two-week pause in collections.
“We would like to remind residents that due to the high volumes of garden waste expected collection crews will only be able to collect either a garden waste bins, or two council issued bags. We will not return if residents forget to put out their bin/bags.”
Residents also no longer need to book a slot at their local Household Waste Recycling Centres (tidy tips), which are open seven days a week from 9am to 5pm. The permit system has been reinstated for vans, large trailers, and certain materials. Please check the council’s website for further detail. Trade and commercial waste are only accepted as a paid service at Thorn Turn Household Waste Recycling Centres.
Residents with enough space in their gardens are encouraged to home compost. You can also buy a subsidised 220-litre compost bin and get it delivered to your home for as little as £16.50 (plus £5.99 delivery).
A bin tag outlining these temporary collection changes will be attached to bins week commencing 11th October.
More details can be seen on the council’s website: https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/waste-disruption.
