Berrylands Trial Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When will my bins be emptied?
A. Your collections will be on a Friday.  Recycling will be collected on a weekly basis, every Friday.  Non-recyclable refuse will be collected fortnightly, every alternate Friday.

Q. What materials will be collected?
A. Details are provided in the Berrylands Trial Containers page on the left hand menu,  the information pack will also contain all details about containers and materials. Alternatively, contact Customer Care via email environmnet@rbk.kingston.gov.uk or call 020 8547 5560.

Q. How many households are involved in the trial?
A. Around 2,000 households in the Berrylands area are part of the trial. You can view a map of the area at the bottom of the page.

Q. Will blocks of flats within the trial area be offered ways of increasing the amount they recycle? If not, why not?
A. There are no flats included within the trial area, however if flats within the vicinity have space available and suitable access for collection vehicles they may be provided with a Cardboard Bank and a Paper Bank. We are looking at other trials for flats in the near future.

Q. Will residents who have already purchased their own wheeled bin still be provided with a new one?
A. Yes, only new containers provided by the council can be used by residents.

Q. If yes, what if they do not want another one?
A. The wheeled bins that we provide will be compulsory for residents to use.  Under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, we have powers to specify what containers are to be used for refuse collection.

Q. If a household already owns a wheeled bin larger than 140 litre but is not considered to qualify for a larger capacity bin, will they be asked to use a smaller bin?
A. Residents will not be permitted to use their old wheeled bin. The contractor will report any misuse of the scheme via the daily works return. The provided wheeled bin must be used for the sake of consistency. The wheeled bins that we provide will be compulsory for residents to use.  Under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, we have powers to specify what containers are to be used for refuse collection.

Q. What happens if a property does not have the space at the front to keep the bin?
A. A site visit will be undertaken to agree a suitable position or an alternative solution.

Q. Will the waste being put into the wheeled bins be monitored to check people are not disposing of recyclable waste inappropriately?
A. No. However, if residents are not placing recyclables in the appropriate container, they may find that they cannot fit all refuse in their wheeled bin.  It therefore makes sense to use the recycling and organics containers whenever possible.

Q. If a household can prove they are making full use of all the recycling options but still have more waste than can fit in their wheeled bin for a fortnightly collection, will giving them a larger bin be considered?
A. Larger bins will only be provided to households with five or more members.  These households can request a 240 litre wheeled bin. They must fill in a form stating the names and date of births of all householders. We really need to encourage residents to make use of all the recycling initiatives that we are promoting and we are confident that small bins are sufficient for other households.

Q. How long will the trial last?
A. Initially the trial will last for 12 months.  Throughout this period we will review the performance on a regular basis and if necessary implement improvements.  The trial will then continue until September 2008.

Q. Is the trial based on information gathered from monitoring what people put in their rubbish?  For example, how do we know that the extra materials added to the recycling will be sufficient to reduce refuse to a fortnightly collection?
A. Since 2003, Kingston Council has undertaken yearly waste audits, which identify the composition of the kerbside-collected household waste arising in the Borough.  The analysis in 2005 indicated that 42.57% of Kingston’s household waste was organic waste (eg. food waste) and 20.03% was paper and card.  Recycling this material will greatly reduce the amount of waste that is going to landfill.

Q. Why was the Berrylands area selected for the trial?
A. Berrylands was the natural choice for the new trial, due to the success of the glass collection trial prior to this service being rolled out across the Borough.  The demographics of this area fit to the demographics for the majority of the borough and there are many streets without flats (which are not included in the trial) making it easier to implement here.

Q. Will replacement bins be readily available if they go missing?
A. Replacement containers can be made available. Residents are responsible for their wheeled bins and should mark their house number on all containers.

Q. What will happen to recycling of food waste during hot weather, isn’t it a health hazard?
A. No, because it will be collected on a weekly basis from the secure, sealed containers provided.

Q. Will the bins be chipped?
A.Your wheeled bin will be ‘chipped’ by placing a single microchip in the bin. The purpose is simply to record whether or not the bin has been placed out and emptied; no personal data will be recorded and there is no facility to weigh the content of the bin.