Stickers with rubbish tips to top bins

Rubbish bins and bags across the city will be getting stickers or tags as the countdown to the new rubbish and recycling rounds gets underway.

Waterproof stickers which have guidance on how and when to put out rubbish are being stuck onto thousands of bins ahead of a major reorganisation of the city’s rubbish and recycling rounds, which starts on 19 January.

The bins and tags also include a space for people to put their house number.

Councillor Brian Vincent, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “We want to give everyone clear guidelines about what to put out and when as part of the new rounds. We have to let people know what their new bin day is anyway, so it makes sense to remind people about what we can and can’t take in Plymouth at the same time.”

Properties which have reusable bags for their rubbish and recycling will get a tag with the same details.

Before Christmas every home in the city received a card with details of their new collection day as well as a reminder of what can and can’t be recycled and instructions on where and how to put bins and bags out.

Councillor Vincent added: “Rubbish and recycling is important to most people in this city. People who ignore the guidelines have an impact on their neighbours and where they live, so we are making sure everyone is clear on what to do.”

The round reorganisation is part of the Council’s transformation programme which is looking at services to see if they can be more efficient, while making things easier for residents.

Changing the routes aims to cut down journey times, reduce the risk of missed collections and lead to savings worth £1.3 million in three years. The new routes have also been designed to also take into account the new waste disposal plant in Devonport which is due to come online in the New Year, which will take the city’s rubbish that can’t be recycled.

Other changes that have been brought in over the last 12 months include a doorstep glass recycling scheme for every home to increase recycling and a delivery charge to replace bins in a move designed to encourage people to look after their bins or bags more.