Major changes to bin collections confirmed

Major changes to bin collections in County Durham have been approved. 

Households will receive new containers to store food waste and follow new rules for recycling glass by 2026. 

Each household will receive two new bins: a small caddy for food waste as it is produced and a larger container for food waste scraps. The food waste containers will be collected by new bespoke vehicles on a weekly basis. 

Residents have also been told to put glass bottles, jars, and other items into the main blue-lidded recycling bin instead of the separate caddy. 

The new measures have been approved by Durham County Council to reduce the number of waste containers for residents, improve operational efficiency, and improve the health and safety of the bin collection workforce. 

Residents in around 250,000 will be contacted about their collection date and provided with containers ahead of household food waste collections coming into place in 2026. 

New measures for large businesses will be introduced by March 2025. 

There will also be new requirements for collections of plastic film from households, businesses, non-domestic premises and micro-firms by 31 March 2027. These materials are currently not collected for recycling in County Durham.

The weekly food waste collection measures are estimated to cost the council around £6 million, the majority of which is covered by a Government grant. 

A council report read: “Introducing separate weekly food waste collection services and changes to the recycling arrangements (co-mingling of glass) will represent a significant change in arrangements for our residents and will require careful planning and good engagement with households and businesses to prepare them for these changes. 

“A comprehensive implementation plan and communications and engagement strategy will underpin the council’s preparation for implementing these changes.” 

Councillor Mark Wilkes, cabinet member for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change, said: “The size and scale of County Durham means that operating a service that is delivered reliably and consistently to every house in the county is a significant undertaking. Our waste collection teams already empty more than a million bins a month. 

“The scale of this project can therefore cannot be overstated.”