NO more bulky brown bins - Uttlesford residents will soon start receiving their new conveniently-sized food waste caddies.

And in a further improvement to the district’s recycling service, residents can from today put glass, clothes and shoes in the green-lidded bin.

The new food waste caddies are being delivered to homes across the district over a five-week period starting on Monday June 11. The caddies are more convenient to store and wash and will benefit households across Uttlesford. The week after the caddy is delivered, the old brown-lidded bin will be collected. Details about this will be in the information pack contained within the caddy – so please make sure you read it all carefully.

Thanks to a new recycling contract, the range of items that can now go in the green-lidded bin has increased. Glass bottles and jars can be put in the bin, meaning no more trips to the bottle bank.

Please note that glass MUST go in the bin itself – any glass left in a separate container alongside the bin will NOT be collected.

Clothes, paired shoes, bed linen and curtains can now go in there too, along with an even greater range of plastics including bubble wrap and cling film. Non-glass items can still be left alongside the bin in plastic bags (not black bin bags) or cardboard boxes.

Cllr Susan Barker, cabinet member for environmental services, said: “I am delighted that we have secured a recycling contract that can cope with a whole new range of material. Many residents have asked for glass collection and from today this is a reality. The food waste caddy will be so much easier to store and clean.

“As well as information going to every household, we will also be distributing packs to schools about the new services as I know that younger members of the community are keen to learn about recycling - and remind their parents!

“I know that these new initiatives will move our recycling forwards and reduce the amount going to landfill. I would ask everyone to stop and think before putting any item in their black bin as it probably should be in the green bin or food waste caddy instead.

“I would like to reiterate that glass MUST go in the bin itself – any glass left beside the bin in another container will not be collected.”

More than 2,500 households have joined the council’s new fortnightly garden waste collection scheme. There is one off charge of �20 for a bin and an annual charge of �40 for collection, which is reduced for joining part way through the year.

People who receive council-administered benefits can get a discount on the subscription charge. Visit uttlesford.gov.uk/recycling for details of the sliding scale of charges or call 01799 510510.

In September, the council will introduce new vehicles which can collect food waste and dry recycling/non recycling at the same time. This means the council can move to a four-day week for collections, meaning less disruption for residents during bank holiday weeks.

It means that many residents will find their collection day changes but there is no need to do anything now as households will be notified of any change in collection day nearer the time.

Uttlesford District Council was keen to avoid putting any of these improvements in place during the school summer holidays when people might be away but because the company supplying the caddies has now been able to confirm a June delivery date, the council is able to get the distribution completed before the holidays start.

Residents who would like to find out more about these changes, including the full range of items that can be recycled, should visit uttlesford.gov.uk/recycling