Castle Bromwich Community Website

Solihull Council is reminding residents to make sure that their bins, boxes and bags for waste and recycling are out ready by 7am on the day of their collection, in the right place and correctly filled.

From 4 April the Council will no longer be returning to collect waste and recycling from properties which have been missed because the containers were not put out in time, were not in the right place or have the wrong materials in the containers. This will save the Council around £100k per year.

Starting on 21 February, the crews on the waste and recycling trucks will be using new technology to make a record of properties that haven’t put their collections out by 7am, have put the wrong materials in their containers or have not put their containers where they are visible from the road, where their property meets the pavement.

The technology does not use cameras. It allows the crews to use touch screens to send real-time messages electronically to the Council’s Customer Contact Centre about where they are on their rounds and any properties that have missed their collection.

If the residents from these properties then contact the Council to report that their collection has been missed, they will be advised that their containers will be picked up this time but from 4 April, they will not.

From 4 April, residents who miss their collections will be asked to keep their waste and recycling for their next collection or they have the option to take it to Bickenhill Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC).

Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Tim Hodgson said: “We understand that it is an inconvenience for residents if they miss their collection and this is not about spying on people. At the moment, the majority of residents who put their containers out correctly are currently paying £100k a year for us to return to a minority of properties that aren’t. The Council simply cannot afford to sustain this cost and by cutting out repeat and unnecessary journeys we can make our service more efficient and responsive for our residents. We will of course continue to return to missed collections when the mistake is ours.”

Residents can check their collection days and what materials should go in each of their containers by logging on to: www.solihull.gov.uk/environment/refuse.htm or by emailing: connectcc@solihull.gov.uk or calling 0121 704 8000.