Waste and recycling crews are busier than ever this Christmas clearing away about 500 tonnes more rubbish and recycling than they usually do.
It could be even higher this year with more people staying at home and shopping online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
November was a record-breaking month with 1,131 tonnes of recycling collected from the kerbside in the new wheelie bins, 337 tonnes more than last November.
The average amount of recycling collected last year was about 700 tonnes per month. This year it’s more than 800 tonnes per month.
Up to the end of November this year, crews took 1,168 tonnes more recycling, 1,957 tonnes more household waste and 277 tonnes more garden waste compared with the same period last year.
Check your collection dates
Households are reminded that waste and recycling collection dates change during the Christmas and New Year holiday. Visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/refuse-collection-schedule/ to check your collection date.
After Christmas, crews hit the streets at 7am on Tuesday 29 December emptying thousands of bins each day.
A bin crew worker will typically walk 10 miles a day in all weathers collecting and hauling about 10 tonnes of waste and recycling.
North East Lincolnshire Council hires extra staff to help during the festive season and uses additional vehicles to cope with the extra demand.
The council will post messages about major service disruption on its website and share information with local media and on its social media accounts.
Cllr Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for Environment and Transport at North East Lincolnshire Council, said:
“Our waste and recycling crews are very grateful for the public’s support during the coronavirus pandemic.
“It has been a difficult year, but the messages and drawings posted in windows around the borough have really helped lift their spirits.
“The crews have been fantastic and in November they won a national industry award for their commitment and spirit in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Christmas is a busy time for them and this year they are likely to be busier than ever.
“Please be patient during the Christmas holiday and do what you can to help us to help you dispose of your waste and recycling.”
Cllr Swinburn added: “I’d like to thank the people of North East Lincolnshire for making the effort to recycle with the new bins.
“The latest figures show big increases in the amounts we’re collecting and it all helps push up our recycling rates.
“This is the first Christmas with the new recycling bins. Almost all homes in the area are now using them and people are seeing the benefits of the new bins at this time of year.
“It was a massive project to roll out the bins, but in just a few months we’ve introduced them to about 70,000 households across North East Lincolnshire.”
How you can help
- Plan ahead. Think about how you are going to dispose of your waste this Christmas
- Check your Christmas and New Year collection calendar at www.nelincs.gov.uk/bins
- Please put the correct bins out before 7am on your collection day
- Take your bin back to your property after the bin crew has been
- Fit more in your bin by flattening cardboard boxes and squashing plastic bottles and drinks cans.
- Take any extra rubbish to the Community Recycling Centres (CRC or the tip) in Grimsby or Immingham
- We will collect all waste and recycling that has been presented correctly in the bins with the lids closed
- We won’t empty recycling bins if you put the wrong items in them and we won’t take extra rubbish left with your bins
- All household rubbish that can’t be recycled needs to go in your green wheelie bin with the lid closed
- Most people manage their household waste well, but if you have too much rubbish for your green wheelie bin, check you’re recycling as much as you can at www.nelincs.gov.uk/recycling.
Community Recycling Centres
Community Recycling Centres (the tip) are open every day (except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day) from 8am to 6pm and 8am to 4pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Grimsby tip can be very busy at peak times. Try visiting Immingham instead if there are long queues in Grimsby.
- Grimsby Community Recycling Centre, Estuary Way, Pyewipe Industrial Estate, Grimsby DN31 2UD
- Immingham Community Recycling Centre, Queens Road, Immingham DN40 1QR
Recycling banks are convenient places to recycle reasonable amounts of cans, glass, paper and plastic. Do not dump rubbish at bring to recycling banks – this is fly-tipping and it’s illegal. If they’re full, take the rubbish to the tip or return later.
Bulky waste and garden waste
There are no bulky waste collections from 20 December 2019 to 6 January 2020. If you have any bulky waste items you need to get rid of, book online at www.nelincs.gov.uk/bulkywaste or call (01472) 326288, option 4. It’s £20 for up to four items (excluding white goods) and £5 for any extra items. White goods are collected for £10 each.
Garden waste collections stopped on Friday 11 December for the winter and start again from Monday 1 February 2021.
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