26/01/24: New collection routes may see residents' bins emptied on a different day

Residents in Breckland may soon need to put their bins out on a different day as the district council looks to make collection routes more efficient.

Working with its waste collection contractor Serco, Breckland Council will shortly be making changes to the household waste, recycling and garden waste collection routes.

The changes are set to be introduced from the week of Monday, 26 February and just over half of Breckland residents will see a change to their waste and recycling collection day. Breckland covers Dereham, Swaffham, Watton, Thetford and Attleborough and their surrounding villages.

Collections will continue to be made weekly, with waste collected one week and recycling the next, on an alternate weekly basis. The majority of people who subscribe to the council's garden waste collection service will see their collection day change, with some also having their collection week change. Collections will continue to be fortnightly, and no one will miss any collections.

The change to collection routes has been prompted by the closure of the previous waste collection site, where rubbish picked up from the district's households was taken for gathering up before being transported to processing facilities. In addition, housing growth and a rise in demand for garden waste collection services means the council is taking the opportunity to create new routes for the bin crews, minimising the distance the collection crews need to travel to collect everybody's waste and taking it for sorting.

All Breckland residents will receive a leaflet with their new collection day in the first half of February. Residents who have a garden waste subscription will also receive a separate calendar.

Cllr Helen Crane, Executive Member for Waste at Breckland Council, commented: "By changing the routes our bin crews follow, we can minimise the number of miles they have to cover and ensure they are collecting everybody's rubbish as quickly and efficiently as possible. Around half of our residents will stay on the same collection day and around half will see a change, so it is essential that everybody looks out for the information in early February and plans to put their bins out on the right day when the routes change at the end of the month."

Gary Edwards, Serco Senior Contract Manager for Norfolk, said: "Please check your leaflet, or the website, to confirm how these changes will affect you."

Residents should look out for a leaflet which should be delivered to all Breckland homes by mid-February, ahead of the change being implemented from 26 February. For more information visit: www.breckland.gov.uk/rubbish/collection-changes