Wheelie bins take over from Monday (From Oxford Mail)

South Oxfordshire's new wheelie bin waste service starts on Monday

1:37pm Tuesday 2nd June 2009 in Search By Emily Allen

HUNDREDS of homes in Didcot and Wallingford will escape controversial new wheelie bins when a new waste collection service begins in South Oxfordshire next Monday.

This week, South Oxfordshire District Council officially launched the new system at Trident Park, Didcot, where contractors Verdant are based.

The new scheme will mean more than half the district’s waste is recycled for the first time.

Each home has been issued with two wheelie bins — one green and one black — for alternate weekly collections of rubbish and recycling materials.

Food waste will also be collected weekly from separate kitchen caddies for the first time in Oxfordshire, to be taken to a special composting unit and turned into fertilizer or energy for the grid.

However, 370 homes in the Wallingford area and 200 in Didcot have been deemed unsuitable for wheelie bins by the council — and supplied with sacks instead.

A council spokesman said: “There are separate arrangements for people in flats or households, where it is difficult to store wheeled bins, and the intention is to ensure the same level of service for all residents. Assisted collections for people with mobility problems will continue.”

Sacks have been supplied to 1,200 homes in the Henley area. The town has a number of homes in conservation areas with restrictions on what can be put out the front of their properties.

In Thame, 370 homes will have sacks, and 250 homes in the area between Watlington and Benson will also escape the bins.

In January, it was revealed that families in the district would be the first in the county to have their wheelie bins fitted with an electronic chip to weigh how much is thrown away.

The council said the information collected could then be used to improve recycling rates, — insisting there were no plans for a pay-as-you-throw system.

David Dodds, cabinet member for waste at the council, said: “For the first time, we will be able to compost food that would normally go to landfill, and people will be able to recycle glass, drink cartons, aluminium foil, and aerosols.

“South Oxfordshire residents are already good recyclers, and the new system will ensure even greater success in increasing recycling rates.”

The new contract with Verdant is shared with the neighbouring Vale of White Horse District Council, where the new arrangements will start in October next year.

Verdant managing director Roger Edwards said: “We have lots of experience and know that there can be minor teething problems in the early days. I’d ask all residents to understand the complexity of our new task, and to let us know when and where there are problems, so that we can sort them out quickly.”