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Changes made to waste services

A photo of Chelson Meadow Household Waste Recycling Centre

Plymouth's new administration has wasted little time in making a range of changes designed to make disposing of waste easier for residents.

New Council Leader Nick Kelly was chairing the first meeting of his new cabinet on Tuesday when he announced that the garden waste period would be extended, charges for non-household waste at Chelson Meadow will be scrapped and the delivery of new bins will now be free of charge.

"I'm really pleased that we've been able to get straight to business and make the decisions that residents have told us they want," said Councillor Kelly.

"It was not right that people had to pay £15 to have a bin delivered; it was not right that we were risking an increase in fly-tipping by charging people at Chelson Meadow and it was not right that we weren't collecting garden waste at a time when the most leaves were still falling.

"These decisions are all about applying common sense and will make it easier for residents throughout our city to dispose of their waste in a more environmentally friendly way and lead to an increase in recycling rates."

The Council's Garden Waste collection service previously ran from April until October but will now be extended until the end of November. In addition, residents will no longer need to remember to register for the service every year.

Meanwhile, the charges brought in at Chelson Meadow for soil, rubble, plasterboard, asbestos and other DIY materials in January will cease.

Lastly, the £15 charge for the delivery of additional or replacement bins has been suspended, although will still apply for the provision of bins for new build properties.

The opportunity for residents to collect containers themselves is currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic but will be reinstated as soon as possible, and this method is being actively encouraged by the Council.

The changes will be broken down into three executive decisions which will be published on Wednesday.

The Council will make a further announcement on when the decisions will be implemented in the next few weeks.