Recycling collections will resume from Monday, 15 December
Updated: Thursday, 11 December, 2pm
We’re pleased to confirm that dry recycling collections will restart on Monday, 15 December following the appointment of a new contractor.
If your recycling is usually scheduled to be collected on Monday, 15 December, please put your bin out by 7am.
For residents who did not have their recycling collected during 8-12 December
Firstly, please be aware that if your usual collection date falls on the week commencing Monday 22 December that it will follow the revised Christmas schedule. Please remember to put to your bin out by 7am on the revised date.
| Usual collection day | Revised collection day |
|---|---|
| Monday, 22 December | Saturday, 20 December |
| Tuesday, 23 December | Monday, 22 December |
| Wednesday, 24 December | Tuesday, 23 December |
| Thursday, 25 December | Wednesday, 24 December |
| Friday, 26 December | Saturday, 27 December |
Further Christmas collection changes are on our website.
What to do with your extra recycling
If you are able to, please hold on to your recycling and put it in your bin if there is space at your next scheduled collection.
We appreciate that at this time of year especially, there is more recycling waste than normal and you may not be able to store it or have space in your bin for it at your next collection.
Unfortunately, we cannot take additional recycling left next to the bin, as this would slow down scheduled collections and prevent rounds from being completed, and we do not want that to happen.
You can take your recycling to your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre — book your slot here.
As a last resort, you can put your recycling in your residual waste (black bin).
We appreciate your patience while we get back on track.
Why did the pause happen?
The contractor who treats our recycling waste has suspended their service with just one business day's notice and no time to make alternative arrangements, meaning we couldn’t collect the waste if there is nowhere for it to go.
The contractor that treats our dry recycling had a fire at their treatment facility, and they wanted to pass over the entire additional cost to the council.
This would have been the new contract price and added millions of pounds in costs over the remainder of the contract.
The contract we have protects the council in these circumstances and we do not agree to pay this additional amount. We are holding the contractor to account for this.
Frequently asked questions
- Are glass collections affected
- Is this related to the fire at the Elstow Waste Transfer Station
- When did the contractor notify the council that it was stopping its service
- Will there be a Council Tax rebate or reduction
- Is CBC at fault, and will the contractor be held accountable
Are glass collections affected?
No, glass collections are not affected.
Is this related to the fire at the Elstow Waste Transfer Station?
No. There was a fire at Elstow, but that is a different site managed by a different company.
Our contractor had a fire at their own recycling treatment site. They then used their contingency plans and used an alternative site, and this meant there was no disruption to services for residents.
Now the contractor wants the council and taxpayers to shoulder the cost of this. The contract we have protects the council in these circumstances and we do not agree to pay this additional amount, which would be millions of pounds of additional costs to the council and taxpayers.
When did the contractor notify the council that it was stopping its service?
The contractor started talking to us about a price increase on 20 November. Discussions had not concluded.
The contractor formally notified us after office hours on 4 December 2025 that they would no longer provide a service. Because it was sent after office hours, we received that letter on Friday 5 December, giving us one day’s notice, which is not enough time to make alternative arrangements — but we are working on this now.
Will there be a Council Tax rebate or reduction?
We appreciate some people will not be getting the service you expect and pay for. This situation arose because a contractor withdrew their service with short notice, leaving us with insufficient time to make alternative arrangements for this week. We are working really hard to find a resolution as quickly as possible so that collections can resume.
The contractor wants to increase the rate we are contracted to pay, and unless we pay, they would stop taking our recycling. Given we recycle more than 20,000 tonnes of dry recycling per year, this would be a huge sum of public money. The council decided it would not pay this and so whilst this dispute is sorted out, we need to find an alternative.
We think opting for a small period of minor disruption rather than costing the taxpayer loads more money is a better deal for residents.
Is CBC at fault, and will the contractor be held accountable?
We are holding the contractor responsible. This is a complex situation involving contractual and legal matters, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment further on the legal advice and action we are taking.
Contrary to some speculation on social media, the council does not have any unpaid invoices.