Kerbside dry recycling collections to resume on Monday 23 March
Friday, 20 March 2026
Thank you for your patience while dry recycling collections were paused for four days due to a fire at a Bletchley facility. Collections will resume from Monday 23 March.
Central Bedfordshire Council would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding during a brief suspension of dry recycling collections.
The suspension of dry recycling collections was due to a catastrophic fire at a waste transfer facility in Bletchley, which bulks and transports all dry recycling collected in Central Bedfordshire to a separate treatment facility.
As the waste transfer station was unavailable, the Council was forced to suspend the kerbside dry recycling collection service for 4 days.
Officers at the Council have been working hard with our contractors and partners to secure an alternative waste transfer site, minimising disruption.
Councillor Wye, our Executive Member for Sustainability and Climate Resilience, said:
I am extremely grateful to residents for their patience during this disruption, and I am delighted the Council has managed to identify and secure a new waste transfer facility so quickly.
The cause of this fire is not yet known and remains under investigation by the relevant fire authorities. However, batteries placed in household bins are a known and growing cause of fires at waste and recycling facilities across the country. We know this was the cause of the fire at the Elstow Waste Transfer Station, underlining the dangers of incorrect disposal.
That is why we will be writing to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and inviting them to the Council to discuss the risks posed by batteries in bins. We will also seek action from government to make recycling easier for everyone. Government must play its part in helping to prevent fires at recycling facilities.
Advice for households whose dry recycling bins were not collected between Tuesday 17 and Friday 20 March can be found on this dedicated page about the pause and resumption.