Press release from South Hams District Council

PLEASE NOTE: CHANGES BEGIN FROM 5 OCTOBER  – THIS MAY INCLUDE A CHANGE OF COLLECTION DAY – CHECK YOUR COLLECTION DAY ONLINE

In Spring 2021, South Hams District Council will be introducing an all new ‘Super Recycler’ service, so that every household can recycle more.

The planned changes will add glass and a wider range of plastics to the list of items collected at the kerbside.

In preparation for the new service, a full review of the collection rounds has taken place and new routes will come in to effect from 5 October 2020. From this date, it is possible that crews will  collect at a different time of the day for every household so it’s important that all waste is out by 7 a.m. For about two thirds of residents, actual collection days will change.

Reviewing the days and weeks we collect recycling and waste is a common part of delivering the service.  These reviews are needed periodically to take account of new properties, and this round review is long overdue in South Hams.

With the incoming new service, now is the perfect time to implement a full review of the rounds. This will ensure that the rounds have been amended to take into account the changes that are needed for the new service to work effectively in 2021.

The new recycling service was originally planned to come into effect in September 2020 but has been delayed due to the impact of lockdown on vital supply chains and preparations.

Residents in the South Hams are already very good at recycling all of the items currently collected. With the introduction of the new service, South Hams District Council wants to help residents become Super Recyclers and recycle even more every single week.

Recycling more and throwing away less reduces the impact on the environment because less energy is used producing new materials and we can make the best use of our resources.

In 2019, South Hams District Council joined many other councils and Central Government, in declaring a climate change and biodiversity emergency.  While tackling the global issues seems an overwhelming task, recycling is one of the easiest way for every household to do their bit.

The new service will introduce a new weekly separate food waste collection and weekly recycling collection. It will allow residents to recycling glass and plastic packaging, such as yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, meat trays and fruit punnets, at the kerbside. Garden waste and refuse collections will remain fortnightly.

All properties impacted by the day changes will receive a letter this week, 14 – 18 September, informing them of their new collection day. If residents have not received a letter and want to check if they have been affected they can use the ‘find my collection day’ feature on our website, www.southhams.gov.uk/recyclingwaste. Households not affected by the day change may notice that the time of day their collection is completed may change. Residents are reminded that collections can happen any time after 7 a.m. on their collection day.

Cllr Keith Baldry, South Hams District Council’s Executive Member for Environment, said: “We are delighted to be bringing this improved service to our residents in Spring 2021.  Many of them have been telling us that they want to recycle more materials, because they know how important recycling is.

“The collection route changes are a necessary step in the preparation for the new service. Residents may experience low levels of disruption while our hard working collection crews adjust to the new routes. If missed collections do occur they can be reported on our website the following day.”

Cllr Baldry added: “While we’ve unfortunately had to delay the new service until 2021, we hope the delay will mean that we have more time to talk to more people about the new service as lockdown restrictions ease.”

Residents will receive further information on the new service through their door in early 2021.

Collection calendars issued with council tax statements in March finish in September. This was in preparation for the original new service date. A downloadable copy of the calendar for the rest of 20/21 is available at www.southhams.gov.uk/recyclingwaste.