Residents reassured about coming changes to waste and recycling collections

Residents across the Moorlands are being reassured that coming changes to their waste and recycling services as a result of the national scheme to introduce weekly food waste collections will not require households to have a fourth bin and will not result in fines.

Recent reports in the national and local media have suggested that all residents will receive additional bins and could be fined up to £400 if recycling isn’t separated in line with the new rules.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council is now reassuring residents that no fines will be introduced and households won’t be receiving another bin – instead a caddy for collecting food waste will be distributed together with full details of the changes and what they mean.

Councillor Charlotte Atkins, Cabinet Member for Services, said:

“Some of the recent reporting of the changes that are coming could have been misleading so I want to be clear about what’s happening here in the Moorlands.

“The Council and its waste collection partner Alliance Environmental Services are working hard to put in place the practical arrangements necessary to meet the new national requirements. We, like many other Councils, will need to procure additional vehicles and equipment to carry out this service which we are aiming to introduce in the summer.

“We will provide all households will full details of the changes well before they are introduced and will ensure that our teams are available to support people with these changes when they start. Until then, people should continue to present their waste and recycling in the usual way.”