• Rubbish, waste and recycling
  • Refuse and recycling collections
  • Refuse and recycling collection days
  • Wheelie bins
  • Waste collections for homes without wheelie bins
  • Missed bins
  • A-Z of Rubbish
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Bulky waste collections
  • Clinical waste
  • Recycling centres
  • Minimising waste
  • Trade waste
  • Real nappies
  • Assisted collections
  • Battery recycling
  • Waste awareness and education
  • Bank Holiday collections
• Rubbish that's a risk to health
• Drains and Sewers
• Streetscene
• Landscape and Countryside
• Dog warden service
• Community Development Team
• Unauthorised encampments
• Private water supplies
• Noise
• Bonfires and smoke
• Pest Control Treatments for Domestic Properties
• Air Quality and Public Health
• Contaminated land

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why the new service?
• Does the law say how often the council should collect my waste?
• Is it a health hazard to collect household rubbish, including food waste, on alternate weeks?
• Do I need to be worried about smells and vermin?
• How will I know which containers to put out on which week?
• Where will my bin be collected from?
• I have seen in the media that the national government appear to be against this type of service and the use of wheelie bins etc, so why are you introducing this?
• How does the new system motivate people to recycle more?
• What types of recycling will you collect? Will you collect plastic?
• Will the brown bin service change?
• Can I use plastic or compostable bags to line my kitchen caddy?
• Will my bins be my property?
• We are a large family - what if my bin cannot hold two week's waste?
• I have a baby in nappies, will I get a bigger bin?
• What about smells from my rubbish bin?
• What happens if I have any extra waste?
• Where will I store my bins?
• My property is not suitable for storing wheelie bins or has restricted access. What can I do?
• Will the council be enforcing against residents who contaminate their wheelie bins?
• Will you offer special help to residents who are unable to get their bins to the boundary?
• What do I do with my old boxes and bins?

Why the new service?

We have carefully considered the need to change the service, based on customer feedback, budgetary constraints and current recycling rates. The reasons for implementing the changes are:

• To make the service more cost and environmentally efficient.
• To improve the overall service by making better use of resources.
• To increase recycling and reduce household waste. This will benefit the environment. The borough's recycling rate is expected to rise by approximately 13 per cent.
• To enable us to provide containers for household waste to make storage more secure, thereby reducing litter from split/torn refuse sacks.
• To meet public demand to collect additional materials such as plastic.

Does the law say how often the council should collect my waste?

Local authorities have a statutory duty to collect household waste but the law does not specify how often this must be done. Under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act (1990), the council can stipulate the types of receptacles and how householders should manage their waste materials correctly.

• Evidence and research, including the  Wycombe Report [1MB] (published March 2007 from independent research commissioned by the Government), found no evidence that this method causes any adverse health impacts.
• In the years since councils have introduced this system there have been no instances of ill health connected with this type of collection service. 
• By using the containers provided as instructed and by employing good housekeeping, residents should not encounter any issues. Residents need to take responsibility for the care of the waste they produce before the council collects it. We will provide advice and support to help residents overcome problems.

Do I need to be worried about smells and vermin?

• Because we have now changed from sacks to bins, smells and vermin should be much less of an issue.
• Problems such as smells can be easily avoided by following a few sensible measures and practicing good housekeeping, for example double-wrapping items like disposable nappies.
• To avoid flies and vermin, ensure waste is not left exposed, but contained instead. If you follow the council's tips, hygiene issues can be avoided.
• The council will not clean wheelie bins as part of the service but businesses offering such services may be found in the phone directory. Good practice would be to rinse out the bins allocated to your property every now and then.

How will I know which containers to put out on which week?

You will receive information leaflets and a calendar detailing your collection days.

Where will my bin be collected from?

Please continue to present your bin on the boundary of your property as before, unless you have an assisted collection.

I have seen in the media that the national government appear to be against this type of service and the use of wheelie bins etc, so why are you introducing this?

• See: Why the new service?

How does the new system motivate people to recycle more?

Receiving only one collection of landfill waste each fortnight will encourage people to think very carefully about how they manage and take responsibility for their waste. See our page about minimising waste for more information.

We will also be making recycling easier by providing plenty of capacity in the new, single recycling bin, as well as expanding the items we recycle, to include plastic. Together with the extension to recycling in 2009 (food waste and cardboard), there should now be very little left to throw away as refuse.

What types of recycling will you collect? Will you collect plastic?

The services have already been expanded to enable residents to recycle most generally collected kerbside materials. When the new system is introduced, we are looking to collect all types of plastics, such as bottles, trays and containers.

We will be collecting:

• Glass
• Tins
• Paper
• Green garden waste
• Cardboard
• Food waste
• Many plastics.

This does not include Tetra Pak juice cartons or polystyrene (foam) trays/cups.

Will the brown bin service change?

This service will continue as normal.

Can I use plastic or compostable bags to line my kitchen caddy?

• If you want to line your kitchen caddy, the simplest way is to line it with paper such as newspaper.
• If you are keen to use a caddy liner, we will now accept food waste in PAPER CADDY LINERS in the brown bin. Lots of supermarkets now stock paper liners and there are many website suppliers too.
• We will not empty bins containing any other type of bag or liner, including plastic bags, or even other types of compostable or biodegradable bag.

Will the bins be my property?

No. The bins will remain the property of the council and are allocated to your property, not you as the householder. Please do not take them with you when you move. It is advisable to mark the bins issued to you with your property details.

The household waste that we throw away ends up in landfill - but over 80 per cent of it is recyclable! By recycling responsibly and using simple techniques like squashing containers, we are confident that the bins will offer adequate capacity for most households.

If you've given the standard sized bin a chance, and genuinely cannot manage, we will consider requests for larger bins from homes with six or more permanent residents, a family with two babies in nappies or those with healthcare waste. If appropriate we will issue a larger bin (240 or 360 litres). This will then be re-assessed annually.

You will need to demonstrate that you recycle, but still find the refuse bin to be too small.

I have a baby in nappies, will I get a bigger bin?

We offer £50 cashback to residents who use real nappies on their babies. If you are struggling to cope due to the quantity of nappies produced, why not consider reusable nappies as an alternative. This is more environmentally friendly and kinder to your baby. It is estimated that a baby will use an average of 5,000 disposable nappies, all of which end up in landfill sites.

Please also see above.

To minimise any potential odour problems, ensure your waste is bagged securely before placing in your rubbish bin.

We will only collect material that is contained within your wheelie bin. Any additional rubbish will not be collected. But, if you recycle as much as you can then there should be little waste that needs to go into your rubbish bin.

Alternatively, if you have too much waste then please take it to one of Hertfordshire County Council's Household Waste Recycling Centres. However you will need to be aware that they will expect you to recycle what you can.

Any excess glass, tins, paper or plastic bottles can be taken to the local recycling centres.

Extra garden waste can be home composted, presented in WHBC garden waste sacks, or taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centres.

Where will I store my bins?

Your bins should be stored within the boundary of your property, where you keep them is your decision. You can keep them inside or outside. We expect that the two new bins, plus the brown bin, will take up roughly the same space as the refuse sacks, brown bin and recycling boxes you already have.

The council recognises that a small number of residents will be unable to use wheeled bins, for example terraced properties opening directly on to pavement or road, with no accessible rear storage.

Properties which genuinely have no storage space for three wheeled bins will be considered on an individual basis and we will arrange alternative methods of collection if required.

Other questions about the changes...

This council believes in providing information and raising the awareness of residents so they can use the recycling service fully and correctly. If residents continue to misuse the service we will implement our enforcement policy, which can result in a fixed penalty notice being issued.

We already provide assistance to residents in genuine difficulty, if there is no one else who resides at the same property who is able to help. This will continue. If you would like to request an assisted collection please contact us.

However, residents should find wheelie bins easier to manoeuvre than heavy sacks or boxes of recycling.

What do I do with my old boxes and bins?

To avoid these becoming waste, find alternative uses for them. Alternatively they can be taken to Hertfordshire's Household Waste Recycling Centres.