Residents given chance to sign up for FREE garden waste collection
West Oxfordshire District Council is giving all households the opportunity to receive free fortnightly collections of garden waste from November 2010.
West Oxfordshire householders now have the chance to sign up for new FREE garden waste collections. West Oxfordshire District Council is giving all households the opportunity to receive free fortnightly collections of garden waste from November 2010.
Residents who want this service need to sign up now by logging onto www.westoxon.gov.uk/garden or by calling 01993 861025. Anyone who does not sign up will not receive collections when the new service starts.
It is the first time that free garden waste collections will be available in West Oxfordshire. At present, this is a paid-for service available only to around 5,000 households. Existing garden waste customers will automatically receive the free service from November, unless they inform the Council that they do not want it.
The Council is introducing the free collections as part of a new, improved recycling and waste service which will be rolled out across the district from the end of November. All garden waste collected will be composted, helping to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. When landfilled, garden waste rots and produces harmful greenhouse gases and pollution.
Don’t miss out!
Cllr David Harvey, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “We are very pleased to be offering free garden waste collections for anyone who wants them. As well as helping the environment, this will give our residents a convenient, easy way to get rid of their garden waste. This new service is available to all households, but people need to tell us if they want it. I would urge residents to get in touch with us as soon as possible so that they don’t miss out.”
Households that sign up for the fortnightly garden waste collections will have a separate wheelie bin for green waste such as grass and hedge cuttings, plants and leaves. The Council needs people to sign up so that it knows which households should receive collections. It does not plan to microchip or monitor any of the wheelie bins.
Ted Bugler, of Schofield Gardens, Witney, is an existing garden waste customer who has received fortnightly collections since the launch of the current paid-for service in 2006.
He said: “It was a problem knowing what to do with my garden waste. I have a composter but you can’t put everything from the garden into that. I’ve never been one to put it in my rubbish bin and it was a hassle for me going to the tip, so when we were given the option of paying for collections I thought it was a good idea. It’s great news that the collections are going to be free and available to everyone. I would thoroughly recommend the service, it’s very convenient having a wheelie bin as you can move it around the garden and it’s easy to put out for collection.”
As well as fortnightly garden waste collections, the new recycling and waste service will include:
- New weekly food waste collections – all food will be recycled.
- Continuation of weekly recycling collections for a wide range of items.
Household rubbish collections for non-recyclable materials will be carried out fortnightly from the end of November, alternating with garden waste collections.
Currently, 34% of West Oxfordshire’s waste is recycled. It is estimated that the new recycling and waste service will almost double this rate within a year.
The paid-for current garden waste collection costs the equivalent of £3 per month (or £36 per annum). The Council will be writing to existing garden waste customers to explain about the new, free service. Items suitable for garden waste collections include: grass cuttings, plants and leaves, prunings, cut flowers, pet straw and sawdust.
Composting at home is still the most environmentally friendly option and the free garden waste collections are intended to complement this. The Council would like to encourage people to continue, or consider starting, composting at home. Advice on composting is available at www.oxfordshirewaste.gov.uk
Residents can sign up for the free garden waste collections:
- online at www.westoxon.gov.uk/garden
- by calling 01993 861025
More information
For further information contact:
Samantha Simpson/Carys Davies
Publicity Office
Tel: 01993 861616 / 861615
Mbl: 07771 965360 / 07894 299822
Cllr David Harvey
Tel: 01993 706501
