Year-round garden waste collection now launched

Garden waste will be collected all year round in Sandwell rather than just during the summer, it has been announced.

Traditionally garden waste collections are suspended during the winter in the borough.

But Serco, which runs Sandwell Council's £650 million waste contract, has now launched a new extended scheme. Garden waste will now be collected every two weeks except for Christmas and New Year. The extended service will be provided at no additional cost to the council.

Neighbourhood boss, Councillor Derek Rowley, said: "We are really pleased to be able to offer this flexibility in the garden waste service to our residents.

"It is just one of the ways the waste partnership is making improvements to the service. I encourage residents to take advantage of this service as it is something not many authorities offer."

The extended collection service is being launched following the introduction of 130,000 new blue, brown and black bins to homes across the borough.

Great Barr resident Michael Hill, from Hembs Crescent, said the extended service would be welcomed by residents.

The 64-year old retired steelworker said: "The bins are not usually full during January but I use them all year round apart from that so it will be useful."

The green waste collections in the borough are now under way and residents will have the waste picked up on their usual waste collection day.

This comes after the council revamped its waste services last year.

Serco started weekly collections of the blue bin recycling waste, and they distributed two 25-litre slop buckets to each home in the borough for food waste.

Residents can also now subscribe to a free text service that provides up to date information about any disruption to the service due to bad weather or holidays.