North Herts Council is seeking to reassure residents following the announcement of bin collection changes.

The Comet spoke to Amy Allen, executive member for Waste and Recycling at North Herts Council after the planned changes to bin cycles in May next year.

On Tuesday (September 10), North Herts Council announced that the two local authorities will work with Veolia "to introduce significant changes to waste and recycling services later in 2025", including a new three-weekly collection cycle. 

The service will involve three-weekly collections of: 

  • Mixed paper and cardboard in one bin 
  • All other dry recycling – glass, plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, cans and foil – with a new addition of plastic bags and film in another bin 
  • General (non-recyclable) waste. 

North Herts and East Herts councils have awarded their next joint waste, recycling and street cleansing contract to VeoliaNorth Herts and East Herts councils have awarded their next joint waste, recycling and street cleansing contract to Veolia (Image: Courtesy of North Herts Council)

Currently, rubbish bins and recycling containers are collected on alternate weeks, while food waste is collected weekly. 

Off the back of announcements residents in North and East Herts were left with concerns surrounding the changes.

In response to questions regarding garden waste the councillor told us that there would be "no changes" to the bin schedule. 

No changes will be made to the bin rota in communal flats either and food waste will be removed weekly. 

Cllr Allen assured that all “niche needs” would be adhered to thanks to new waste awareness officers that will come and assess your bin situation and advise you on the next steps.

She added, “There will be a few households that require a more bespoke service – they can apply for a larger bin and be kept on the original two weekly cycle.” 

The current two weekly schedule is believed to cause “unnecessary emissions”, and the new service encourages residents to "recycle more".

To those concerned about the increased cost of the service she said: “The cost of everything is going up so we knew the cost of the services were going to rise. 

“We are now giving people the service they need, and more people will have greater volume and space for their recycling than they currently have.” 

If you are still concerned about the alterations to the bin schedule, contact Cllr Allen directly at amy.allen@north-herts.gov.uk or submit a query to North Herts Council.