Witney News - Thousands sign up for free garden waste collection

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Thousands sign up for free garden waste collection

More than a quarter of West Oxfordshire’s households are signed up to receive free garden waste collections – and other residents are being urged to register now to ensure they do not miss out.

Over 7,000 households have signed up for fortnightly garden waste collections since registration for the free service started three weeks ago. A further 5,000 households that are part of West Oxfordshire District Council’s existing smaller, paid-for garden waste service will automatically receive free collections.

Free garden waste collections are being offered to ALL households in West Oxfordshire from November 2010, but residents need to sign up if they want to receive the service by logging onto www.westoxon.gov.uk/garden or calling 01993 861025. Anyone who does not sign up will not receive collections when the new service starts.

The District Council has been working to inform residents about the new service and, in addition to giving people the chance to sign up online and by phone, stalls have been set up in Carterton, Witney and Woodstock during the past fortnight to give passers-by the opportunity to sign-up on the spot.

Recycling and waste advisers have been at the stalls (see photograph) to answer questions about the new service. They will be out and about at locations across the District during the coming weeks trying to reach as many residents as possible.

Sign up now!

Cllr David Harvey, Cabinet Member for Environment said: “We are extremely pleased that so many people have signed up for free garden waste collections in such a short space of time. We want to give everyone the chance to receive this service and I would encourage anyone who has not already signed up to register now. We have received some really positive feedback about the service so far and we are looking forward to its introduction in November.

“As well as helping the environment, this will give our residents a convenient, easy way to dispose of their garden waste.”

All garden waste collected will be composted, helping to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. When landfilled, garden waste rots and produces harmful greenhouse gases and pollution.

The free fortnightly collections are being introduced as part of a new, improved recycling and waste service that will be rolled out across the District from November. This will include:

New weekly food waste collections – all food will be recycled.
Continuation of weekly black box recycling collections for a wide range of items.
Fortnightly rubbish collections, alternating with fortnightly garden waste collections.

All households that sign up for garden waste collections will have a separate wheelie bin for green waste such as grass and hedge cuttings.

Like all councils, West Oxfordshire District Council faces challenging national and European recycling targets. Currently, 34% of West Oxfordshire’s waste is recycled and the Council has a target of 45% and rising by 2015. If it does not reach its target, the Council will face high financial penalties. The new recycling and waste service is being introduced to increase recycling and it is estimated that it will almost double the current rate within the first year.

Anyone who wants further information about the new recycling and waste service can visit www.westoxon.gov.uk/waste or call 01993 861025.

Posted : 10/08/2010 10:20:08

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