THOUSANDS of households in Uttlesford will soon be able to start using the district council’s new garden waste collection service.

The bins are being delivered to those households which have signed up for the service over the next few weeks.

Residents will then be able to enjoy a fortnightly collection of their garden waste from the kerbside from April to the end of November.

People living in the south of the district will receive their bin during the week beginning Monday March 19 with their first collection taking place during the week beginning Monday April 2.

For residents in the north of the district, the dates are the week commencing Monday March 26 for bin delivery and the week beginning Monday April 9 for the first collection.

Ron Pridham, head of street services, said: “An information pack will be delivered with the bins which will include a leaflet showing what can and cannot be put in the bin, a letter giving details of the collection week and day and a collection calendar.

“The collection day for the garden waste bins will be different from the current collection day for the other bins for the majority of residents, so people do need to read their information pack carefully.”

Once the kerbside collection service begins, the current village garden waste skip service provided in a small number of parishes will either be altered or will cease. Residents should check with their parish or town council to confirm the arrangements in their area.

Anyone who wants to subscribe to the kerbside garden waste collection service can still do so. The annual subscription is �40 and anyone signing up from now on will also need to pay a one-off charge of �20 for the bin. There is a 25 per cent discount for the subscription for people in receipt of council-administered benefits.

To subscribe, visit uttlesford.gov.uk/recycling or call 01799 510510. There is further information on the website, or residents can email greenwaste@uttlesford.gov.uk

Councillor Susan Barker, cabinet member for environmental services, said: “Uttlesford District Council already has a fantastic recycling record.

“We are currently one of the best performing districts in the county, thanks to the sterling efforts of our residents. I would urge everyone to keep this effort up so that we can continue to divert waste away from ever-decreasing landfill space.”