Christchurch pioneers new recycling service from Monday!

Christchurch residents are the first to benefit from the new "Recycle For Dorset" service from Monday (1/10/12).

53,000 homes will get the service over the course of October, with Christchurch being the first area to be rolled out.

Householders should now have received their new containers and information on how to use them.

The Dorset Waste Partnership(DWP) is keen to remind residents of the differences to the old collection service:

The new service is not a backdoor collection. Pease leave your containers at the kerbside the evening before or by 7am on your collection day, unless otherwise agreed

Food waste is collected every week, with either recycling or rubbish on alternating weeks. Check your calendar to see which is first

Rubbish left beside your bin won't be collected. Please use your recycling and food collections fully to reduce your rubbish

You can line your kitchen caddy using the free compostable liners provided.  New liners can be bought from supermarkets and various local stockists. Alternatively, you can use newspaper or not line your caddy and rinse it out regularly

Remember to lock your larger food bin by moving the handle forwards

Please put glass bottles and jars in your separate green box.  Keeping glass separate helps produce better quality recycled materials

The DWP has tried to keep most people's collection days the same but some people's days have changed.  Please check your new calendar for your collection dates

The new collection rounds may take a little longer to begin with, so please allow until the end of the day for your collection.

You may see two vehicles collecting recycling in the first few weeks before the new vehicles are deployed fully.

Steve Burdis, Director of the DWP, said: "This is the biggest ever change to waste collections in Dorset and follows months of preparations and communications with residents.

"We are excited by the changes this new service will bring and hope residents will feel the same way.  We fully appreciate the part that every resident plays by using the service.

"Initially the rounds may take a little longer to complete while the service settles into its stride, so please allow until the end of the day for your collection."

Countywide Service

The 'Recycle for Dorset' service is being rolled out across the county (excluding Bournemouth and Poole) in phases, beginning next month. It's hoped the new service will save £2m a year on waste management costs and divert 50-65% of Dorset's waste from landfill and into recycling by 2015/16.

Cllr Hilary Cox, Chair of the DWP Joint Committee, said: "We want to see Dorset at the top of the recycling table but we know we can't achieve our aims without the support of our residents.  I would like to encourage all residents to make the most of their new service and thank everyone for doing their bit to recycle for Dorset."