New Recycling and Landfill Waste Arrangements for Kingston from September 2008
The new Recycling and Landfill Waste Collection Service which is being rolled out throughout the borough will help you and encourage you to recycle more of your waste and send less to landfill.
You will be able to recycle a wider range of materials and your recycling (including food waste) will be collected every week.
What happens when?
Properties within the borough are currently being surveyed to check that they can accommodate a wheelie bin. Once your property has been surveyed, you will recieve a leaflet to explain whether you will receive a new wheelie bin or continue to use plastic rubbish bags.
Within a couple of months of you receiving the leaflet, you will then receive an Information Pack telling you everything you need to know about the new service.
A couple of weeks after that, we will deliver the containers you will need to use the new service.
The week after you receive your containers, your new collection service will begin.
Please Note
The roll-out of the new service will be phased over a ten-week period.
Phasing the roll-out over ten weeks will enable us to more effectively manage your enquiries and provide a higher level of customer service. So don’t worry if a friend or relative receives information that you haven’t; the likelihood is that you are simply in different phases of the roll-out.
We recognise that many residents will have questions that need to be answered. We have tried to answer the most common questions below. If anything is still unclear, please email recycling@rbk.kingston.gov.uk or call our Customer First Contact Centre on 020 8547 5560 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm). Please bear in mind that Mondays and Tuesday mornings are the peak periods, so you may want to avoid calling at these times if you can.
Kingston Council, along with every local authority in the country, has been set a very challenging target by central Government of achieving a 65% reduction in the amount of biodegradable waste we send to landfill by 2020. Authorities that exceed their ‘landfill allowances’ will be penalised with heavy fines of £150 per tonne. To get things into perspective, last year Kingston households sent 49,000 tonnes of waste to landfill! The easiest way to avoid these costs is to dramatically reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill -the new recycling and landfill waste collection service is designed to help and encourage residents to achieve this. It will be kind on the environment as well as kind to residents’ pockets.
There are very few recycling plants that will accept ‘mixed plastics’ such as film, bags, pots, tubs and trays. This is because they are made out of low quality plastic which is difficult and expensive to recycle. We hope to be able to accept a wider range of plastics for recycling in the future. But for now, it's plastic bottles only please.More information about Recycling Plastics
Your landfill waste will be collected fortnightly, unless your property is considered unsuitable for a wheelie bin where you will continue to receive weekly collections.
The roll-out of the new service will be phased over a ten-week period
Properties within the borough are currently being surveyed to check that they can accommodate a wheelie bin. Once your property has been surveyed, you will recieve a leaflet to explain whether you will receive a new wheelie bin or continue to use plastic rubbish bags.
Within a couple of months of you receiving the leaflet, you will then receive an Information Pack telling you everything you need to know about the new service.
A couple of weeks after that, we will deliver the containers you will need to use the new service.
The week after you receive your containers, your new collection service will begin.
You will receive a booklet containing all the information about the new service before you receive your new containers. The majority of the borough will receive a large wheelie bin for landfill waste and a number of containers for recycling (including food waste). There are exceptions to this, these include residents living in blocks of flats, have an impairment that affects their ability to use the standard containers, or if there is limited space for the storage of a wheelie bin.
Assisted collections are provided for those unable to present the landfill waste and recycling for collection. If you already receive an assisted collection you will automatically receive assistance on the new service. Request an Assisted Collection
You will not be fined for putting recyclables in your wheelie bin, but Kingston Council will incur heavy fine and landfill taxes if it does not reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. Request a Recycling Box
You can request a bulky waste collection for items which will not fit in your wheelie bin. Please contact us at recycling@rbk.kingston.gov.uk or call our Customer First Contact Centre on 020 8547 5560 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm). Please bear in mind that Mondays and Tuesday mornings are the peak periods, so you may want to avoid calling at these times if you can.
You can have as many green recycling boxes as you need for your recycling. Make sure you compress plastic bottles, tins and cans before putting them in the recycling box; and flatten cardboard boxes and liquid food and drink cartons, before putting them in the white reusable bag. This will make room for more recyclables. Request a Recycling Box
As the roll-out of the new service will be phased over a ten-week period, your area may not have started yet. To check when you should receive your new containers, please look up your property: Look up My Property Alternatively, please contact our Customer First Contact Centre at recycling@rbk.kingston.gov.uk or call our Customer First Contact Centre on 020 8547 5560 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm). Please bear in mind that Mondays and Tuesday mornings are the peak periods, so you may want to avoid calling at these times if you can.
Residents living in purpose built flats will be receiving a service for recycling. However, each block of flats will be assessed individually to find the best way of providing the service. It is hoped that all flats in the borough will have a recycling facilities by September 2009. More information about services for flats
Residents currently part of the Berrylands trial service will eventually have their collections realigned to match those around the borough. The new borough-wide service is based on the Berrylands trial, so any changes will only be small. It is likely that the changes will come towards the end of the service change period. More information about the service changes for houses within the Berrylands Trial
The Council will not provide a cleaning service for your wheelie bin, however, it is quite simple to clean the bin after it has been emptied with a garden hose and household disinfectant.
You will not be fined for putting recyclables in your wheelie bin, but Kingston Council will incur heavy fines and landfill taxes if it does not reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.
Experience from the Berrylands Trial shows us that this is not an issue. If you use a nappy sack and place those in the wheelie bin and keep the lid closed at all times, there won’t be any problems. If you think you need an extra large wheelie bin (equivalent to six dustbin bags or four regular dustbins), please fill in our request form. Request Larger Bin
No side waste will be collected in the new service, the standard large bin is large enough to hold the equivalent of two dustbins(or four dustbin bags). If you need an extra large bin (equivalent to four dustbins or six dustbin bags), please fill in our request form. Request Larger Bin
Yes, there will be a collection of cardboard from your property, you will be provided with a reusable white bag in which to present your cardboard for recycling.
You can only use the new containers provided by the Council. No side waste will be collected in the new service, the standard large bin is large enough to hold the equivalent of two dustbins(or four dustbin bags). However, if your property is not suitable for a wheelie bin (ie you do not have a front garden), you will receive information on your alternative service. If you need an extra large bin (equivalent to four dustbins or six dustbin bags), please fill in our request form. Request Larger Bin
Replacement containers will be made available free if they have been stolen or are accidentally damaged when collected or by a third party. Bins will have to be replaced at the cost of the householder if they are intentionally damaged e.g. by fire or misuse.
Our new partners, Veolia Environmental Services, have agreed to introduce an improved garden waste service. However, this will not be introduced until after the roll out of the new recycling and landfill waste service. The current green bag service has been extended until February 2009.
There will be some changes to collection days. Given the complex nature of starting a new service it is not possible to avoid about 10% changes. There will be collection day information provided when you receive your new containers. Check your collection date
The use of wheelie bins for landfill waste collection is increasingly becoming standard across the country. The system may be slightly slower in each street, but there are many benefits in terms of less spillage and safer working for the collection crews.
No, we have a list of all residents who receive help on their collection day. You will still receive an assisted collection when the new service starts. If you don't currently have an assisted collection but feel you will need one when the new service starts, please complete our request form. Similarly if you feel you will no longer need an assisted collection, please complete the form. Request an Assisted CollectionCancel Assisted Collection
All residents in the borough will receive an improved recycling service in order to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. You will receive all the information you require prior to your new service being provided.
On your collection day please place your containers at the front edge of your property boundary on the road that the collection vehicles use. Our collection crews will return your empty containers to the same place.
The new Recycling and Landfill Waste Collection Service which is being rolled out throughout the borough will help you and encourage you to recycle more of your waste and send less to landfill.