08/06/23: "Alexa, when is my next bin day?"

Breckland Council has launched a new service via the Amazon Alexa smart speaker which will enable Breckland residents to find out more about local council services, including which bin is next due for collection.  After enabling the new Alexa skill, residents will be able to initially ask their smart speaker when their bin collection day is, what waste items can go in their recycling bins and how to order garden waste bins.

The new Alexa functionality is the first to be delivered by a Norfolk council but Breckland Council says this is just the beginning, as it already has plans to further enhance the functionality over the coming months. The chatbot will use artificial intelligence to 'learn' new answers as users ask more questions and the council also plans to roll out a similar tool to non-Amazon smart speakers in due course.

Cllr Alison Webb, Executive Member for Customer and Corporate Services at Breckland Council commented: "Our new Alexa chatbot embraces the latest technologies to make it easier for Breckland residents to access key service information 24/7. This is a very exciting development and is another step towards making the council and its service information available wherever and whenever people need us."

Amazon Alexa users can enable the skill via their Alexa app, by searching skills for Breckland Council.Further information and instructions are available on our Breckland Assistant web page.