Smaller waste bins proposed for Dartford homes (From News Shopper)

Smaller waste bins proposed for Dartford homes

3:12pm Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News By Alan Woods

HOMEOWNERS in Dartford will have their rubbish collected in smaller bins later this year, if council plans for a Big Bin Swap get the nod.

Dartford Council is proposing to roll out waste bins with a capacity of 180-litres to the 36,000 houses – but not flats - it collects waste from.

The downsizing, which will come into action between May and August this year if it gets the go ahead, will see the current 240-litre bins replaced.

It is hoped smaller bins will encourage homeowners to think about items they recycle in their grey recycling bin and their brown garden waste bin.

The council says it expects to see the overall amount of residual waste decrease and the amount of recycled waste increase, if councillors at Dartford Council’s cabinet meeting on Thursday approve the plans.

In a move costing more than £708,000, residents will have the option to retain their green 240-litre bin for other purposes but after a certain date, only the smaller bins will be collected by the council’s refuse team.

All the larger bins will be collected and recycled, says the council.

The money behind the move has been put forward by Department for Communities and Local Government’s weekly collection support scheme, which has provided nearly £1.8 million to allow Dartford Council to provide weekly waste collection between 2013 and 2015.

Funding is also proposed be spent on the recruitment of a Recycling Promotions Officer as part of the Big Bin Swap, with £183,850 being allocated to fund this post between 2013 and 2015.