General questions about the 123+ service

What is the 123+ service?

The service includes:

1. A food waste collection every week, using a small kitchen caddy and larger external food waste bin.
2. A recycling collection, every 2 weeks using a wheeled bin for paper, card, food and drink cans, glass bottles and jars, aerosols, food and drink cartons, plastic bottles, plastic pots, tubs and trays.
3. A refuse bin collection every 3 weeks.
+. Garden waste collection service every 2 weeks.

When did the 123+ service start?

The 123+ service started on 1st August 2022.

Why are you introducing a 123+ service?

The end of the separate waste contracts for Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwick District Council in 2022 provides an ideal opportunity to work together. We are introducing a new joint waste and recycling collections approach to deliver the 123+ collections service. This will help us deliver a more efficient collection service that minimises environmental impact and benefits from economies of scale by sharing resources.

What can I do to reduce my waste?

Reducing your waste is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment and will also help you maximise space in your grey bin. There are lots of ways to do this, such as:

Why can't I put everything in the refuse bin?

If you put everything in the grey bin you are likely to run out of space over 3 weeks and we will not collect extra bags left by the bin.

Please use your:

New blue-lidded bin to recycle paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, metal tins and cans, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and food and drink cartons. These items can then be recycled into new materials.
Food waste bins for all of your raw and cooked food waste. Food waste is taken to a separate facility where it is recycled.

This will help to ensure you have enough space in your refuse bin for 3 weeks of rubbish.

Recycling will help reduce waste, protect the environment and help us tackle climate change. We can put your waste materials to good use, and we have a legal requirement to recycle as much household waste as we reasonably can.

It costs money to collect and dispose of the waste in your grey bin. Recycling all that you can helps to keep Council tax down.

What will happen to the recycling and refuse once collected?

Recyclable material is collected and taken to a Material Recycling Facility (MRF). The mixed material is segregated using magnets, optical sorting and other technology until the different materials are in separate waste streams. Materials are then transported to specialist reprocessing facilities where they are made into new products. Your recycling will just be collected in the new blue lidded wheeled bins rather than red boxes or red/white reusable bags.

The food waste will be collected by a separate collection vehicle and be taken to a specialist food waste recycling facility.

The refuse collected from grey bins is taken to an Energy from Waste facility in Coventry. These plants are highly efficient and, according to Government policy, are a preferable option to the landfilling of waste due to the reduction in environmental impact.

Will I have to buy the new waste containers being introduced?

No, as part of the new system households were provided with the new containers free of charge. These were automatically delivered prior to the new service starting on 1st August 2022.

Why don't you charge for food waste collections or nappy waste collections?

The law only allows us to charge for garden waste and bulky waste collections – and a few other specialist things such as asbestos.

We cannot charge for most household waste including food waste and nappies. Food waste makes up a very large proportion of the waste in the grey bin and we are introducing a separate food waste collection to help reduce waste and encourage people to recycle even more.

Will my collection day change?

There may be some changes to collection days.

Full instructions on how to use the service along with your new collection dates were provided prior to the start of the new service.

What will happen with the boxes and bags we currently use for recycling?

We’re encouraging residents to reuse them in the first instance. They are suitable for use at home for all types of storage including in sheds, gardens and garages, and the boxes can be repurposed for growing food and plants in the garden. You could also consider seeking out a local charity or community organisation that could make use of them.

We're encouraging reuse over recycling as reuse is better for the environment than recycling. The boxes and bags are sturdy, so can be repurposed at home for many years.

You can also use your red boxes to present excess recycling next to your blue lidded bin.

Alternatively, you will be able to take them to your local recycling centre.

How can I keep up to date with the new 123+ collection service?

We will be sharing information about the 123+ collection service regularly on our website, social media and email alerts.