Bin days in Bedford set to change for some as council overhauls its routes
Your bin day could be about to change as Bedford council overhauls its routes.
The council says the change – which will impact collections of recycling, household, garden and food waste – will come into effect from Monday, March 30.
It’s the first time routes and schedules have had a major overhaul since the 2016 switch to fortnightly collections.
The council says it’s been caused by a fire that left the Elstow Waste Transfer Station out of action, forcing collection vehicles to travel further for disposal.
Meanwhile, new housing developments have made some collection routes much larger than others.
While most houses in Bedford won’t see a change, around 20 per cent will have a new collection day, with the final collections on the current routes being made between March 16 and 27.
The council says it will be writing to impacted households, which have not yet been revealed, and will update its online calendar on Monday (March 16).
Bedford Today has asked which areas are due to be impacted.
A council spokesperson said: “In most cases, these residents will receive their next bin collection sooner than normal during the transition. A small number of addresses may, unavoidably, see a gap longer than two weeks between their collections. The council will be arranging an extra collection of either the household waste or the garden waste and recycling on Saturday, March 28 for those affected. Residents impacted can check which bin will be collected on the Saturday at www.bedford.gov.uk/bins from Wednesday, March 18.”
Councillor Nicola Gribble, portfolio holder for environment, said: “We apologise for any short-term disruption to your bin collections and are working tirelessly to minimise the impact. These revised routes will deliver a more efficient and reliable service for the Borough. While the changes may take some getting used to, they will help ensure dependable collections and help the council save money in future.”
The new routes are also being timed to integrate the new food waste service, which starts on March 30, more smoothly.
The online bin collection calendar will be updated from noon on Monday,16 March at www.bedford.gov.uk/bins.
Alternatively, you can pop in to The Bedford Borough Hub on Horne Lane for help to use the council’s online services. It’s open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 5pm, and Wednesday from 10am to 5pm.