This January, the Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP) will be contacting over 40,000 households throughout North and East Dorset about upcoming changes to their recycling and rubbish collections.

The seven councils that make up the DWP have agreed to introduce the new ‘recycle for Dorset’ collection service, which has been running ‘successfully’ in Christchurch and parts of East Dorset since October, to replace the 12 different collection schemes currently serving the rest of East and North Dorset.

By working together, the councils hope to make savings of two million pounds per year, whilst reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill sites, and increasing Dorset’s recycling rate from 50 per cent to over 65 per cent by 2016.

The new service will consist of:

• weekly collections of food waste, from a 23-litre outdoor bin and a 7-litre kitchen caddy;
• fortnightly recycling collections (including a 240-litre wheelie bin for plastics, cans, cardboard, paper and aerosols, a box for glass, and a small reusable bag for batteries);
• and fortnightly collections of rubbish using a 140-litre wheelie bin.

At an extra cost, households will also be able to apply for a fortnightly collection of garden waste, starting in June.

Steve Burdis, Director of the Dorset Waste Partnership, commented on the optional service: “The fortnightly collection reduces the need for bonfires and trips to the recycling centre. The optional service has proved very popular in Christchurch and the rest of East Dorset, where more than 13,000 households have subscribed since last summer.”

The new ‘recycle for Dorset’ service is going to begin its expansion to the rest of East and North Dorset on Monday 10 June and will be introduced in phases, aiming to be completed by 2015. Towns to be affected include Alderholt, Corfe Mullen, Cranborne, Holt, Sixpenny Handley, Sturminster Marshall and Wimborne St Giles.

Chancellor Hilary Cox, Chair of the Dorset Waste Partnership Joint Committee, said: “The new service, which is already being well used by residents in Christchurch and other parts of East Dorset, is clean, easy-to-use and enables people to recycle more at home, including plastic pots, tubs and trays.

“It’s also flexible. While most households should have no problems using the new service, there will be genuine reasons why the standard containers will not be suitable for everyone and we may be able to agree suitable alternatives.”

Households with specific requirements for waste containers should contact the DWP before Thursday 28 February.

To facilitate the transition to the new scheme, the DWP is hosting a series of public roadshows where residents will be able to see the new containers and speak to members of the DWP team. Confirmed roadshows include:

Friday 25 January, Gillingham Town Hall, 10am - 1pm

Wednesday 30 January, Sturminster Newton, The Exchange (Chivrick Room), 10am - 1pm

Thursday 31 January, Alderholt Village Hall, 1.30pm - 4.30pm

Saturday 9 February, Blandford, The Corn Exchange, 10am - 1pm

Saturday 16 February, Corfe Mullen Village Hall, 2pm - 5pm

Monday 18 February, Shaftesbury Town Hall (The Guildhall), 5pm - 8pm

Friday 22 February, Stalbridge, Dikes Supermarket, 10am to 1pm

Examples of the new containers will also be on show at council offices, village halls, and other venues across Dorset.