The wheeled bin scheme  

After the success of the wheeled bin scheme in Braintree and Witham, Braintree District Council extended alternate weekly collections to a further 17,000 households in Halstead and a number of villages within the District during 2006.

Since the scheme was introduced recycling rates have increased dramatically and now stand at 43% - one of  the highest in Essex.  

How Does Alternate Weekly Collection Work?

Residents are issued with two wheeled bins – a green bin and a grey bin.

Each bin is collected on alternate weeks.

For example:

Week 1 : green bin & clear recycling sacks

Week 2 : grey bin

The green wheeled bin is for garden waste and uncooked organic kitchen waste.

The grey bin is for residual waste, i.e. anything that cannot be recycled.

Additional sacks or items not contained within the bin (known as side waste) will not be collected but recycling staff will work with residents to ensure the bin capacity meets their needs.

Recycling is collected in Clear Sacks on the same day as the Green Bin.    Place your clear sacks next to your green bin on the day of collection to recycle paper, cardboard, cans, plastic packaging and aluminium foil.

What alternate weekly collections means to Residents.

Results have shown that the alternate weekly collection scheme helps to encourage more people to take their waste seriously, think about the amount they produce in the first place and also recycle more.  It also offers the opportunity to recycle organic waste by using the green  bin.

Who can the public contact?

If you have any queries or want to talk to someone about the size of your bin, please contact Braintree District Council’s Customer Service Centre on 01376 552525.  We shall be pleased to answer any of your queries.