From April 2012, the way in which dry recyclable waste is collected from every household in the district will change because we want to…

1. Make it easier for you to recycle more waste at home;

2. Reduce the cost of collecting and sorting your waste; and

3. Increase the district's recycling rate from 52% to 70%.

The biggest changes will be:

• Your kerbside box will be replaced with a green wheelie bin: and

• Your green bin will be collected every fortnight with the brown bin.

However, you should continue to use your kerbside box until the new scheme starts in April 2012.

You will find your new green bin much easier to manage and more convenient to use. It can hold four times more waste and you can put extra materials such as Tetra Pak cartons in it. There will be a caddy inside the green bin for separating glass bottles and jars from other materials. All materials except glass can be put loosely in the green bin without removing the caddy.

You should expect to receive your new green wheelie bin (with a caddy inside) some time between January and March 2012. It will be accompanied by a guide explaining how to use the new scheme. Please store your new green bin and user guide safely until the new scheme is due to commence in April 2012.

Your waste collection calendar and recycle guide for 2012/13 will also be delivered before April 2012. This guide shows which bin or bins to leave out for collection each week. Your black bin will be collected on alternate weeks to your green bin and brown bin. You may find that you have a new collection day – so please check your waste collection calendar and recycle guide when it arrives.

What else you should know...

• You should put your house number on your green bin in order to prevent it from being lost or stolen.
• You do not need to request an assisted bin lift service for the green bin if you already receive this. This service is provided free of charge to people who are unable to leave their bin out for collection and have no-one else available to do it for them.
• You can reuse your kerbside box for storage at home, donate it to a school or bring it to your nearest community recycling centre. We will recycle all kerbside boxes that are returned to us.
• You should continue to use community recycling centres and points for other materials. Unwanted household furniture and electrical goods can be donated to our Restore shop at Banbridge Community Recycling Centre.

Check our list of frequently asked questions to find out more about the new kerbside recycling scheme and how it will work. We’ll also respond to any specific questions that are not already answered. You can email your question to kerbsiderecycling@banbridge.gov.uk

To dowload a copy of the new kerbside recycling scheme leaflet click here.