Over the next five years the council must save around £4m due to reducing government grants – a quarter of its annual budget. Some savings have been found but we still need to find £1.1m savings by April 2015. The waste and recycling service will be contributing around £400,000 a year to these savings from a number of changes:

New collection rounds from 1^st September

Using the very latest software, we’ve completely redesigned all our waste and recycling collection rounds, which will be rolled out from 1^st September, making them even more efficient. The great news for residents is that, apart from nine properties, everyone’s collection day will stay exactly the same.

Collection times may however change so we’re asking residents to put their bins out the night before collection or by 6am on collection day.

The new rounds will mean big changes for our crews, so residents are being asked to be patient with the crews whilst they learn their new routes.

Residents have been notified of the changes in the Summer edition of the South Cambs Magazine, and further information will be included within the Autumn edition.  A press release will also be issued at the end of August.

Monthly green bin collections in the winter

Monthly green bin collections will be introduced this winter, in December, January and February only, when far less garden waste is put out by residents.

Further information on this change will be included within the Autumn edition of the South Cambs Magazine, together with a revised collection calendar detailing when the changes apply in all areas.

Changes to Christmas bin collections

Revised bin collections over the Christmas period will save £25,000, contributing to savings in 2014/15.

This Christmas period, collections will be made up until 27 December 2014, break until 5 January and then return back to normal collections.  Where, in previous years, collections that would ordinarily fall on Christmas Day and Boxing Day were re-scheduled for up to three days later, some of these collections will also be made earlier.

Besides saving money the changes will result in the normal service being resumed two weeks earlier than in previous year, reducing disruption for residents.

Residents will be reminded that they can recycle a wide range of materials from their doorstep in South Cambridgeshire, and all their Christmas wrapping paper can be recycled in the blue bin.  Any excess recyclable material can also be placed in a returnable container or cardboard box next to their blue bin for collection.

The changes will be highlighted to residents in a number of ways in the lead up to Christmas, through articles in the South Cambridgeshire Magazine, parish and village magazines, a press release, posters and leaflets.

A copy of the Autumn magazine can be found through https://www.scambs.gov.uk/news from the end of August.

Further information can also be found on the website via https://www.scambs.gov.uk/changes-waste-collections-south-cambridgeshire and https://www.scambs.gov.uk/content/collection-changes-faqs