Rubbish and recycling

Charging for the provision of wheeled bins

Great Yarmouth Borough Council does not provide wheeled bins for household waste for new properties free of charge. Developers are expected to contribute all the costs of the waste and recycling infrastructure where the need arises directly from the development. This includes existing properties that are sub divided and require additional bin capacity. These charges are a one off cost for the provision of the bins; the bins remain the property of Great Yarmouth Borough Council. When residents move on, the bins remain for the next resident to use. Bins must not be moved between properties by residents.

A typical house will require two 240l bins, one green for recycling and one black for waste.

Where communal bins are required (for instance for flats), other sizes of bins can be provided depending on the number of residential units, the numbers of bedrooms per unit and the available space to house the wheeled bins.

Generally, we would not expect to deliver bins until the resident moves in and starts paying council tax. If you are ordering large numbers of bins, please give us sufficient time to arrange this.

Under section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990 the local authority can define the kind of bin to be used and require it to be paid for. Bins must not be moved between properties by residents unless permission has been given ie garden waste bins, authorised additional black/green bins.

Bin storage design and location

There are a number of factors to consider when designing refuse and recycling storage facilities. Poor bin storage provision is difficult to rectify retrospectively. This information is useful for building designers and assures planning officers that a suitable refuse and recycling facility has been developed.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council operates a twin bin system whereby a BLACK bin is used for general rubbish and a GREEN bin is used for recyclables. The waste and recycling collection scheme is an alternate weekly collection scheme, collecting general rubbish one week and recyclables the next week.

• bin storage areas should be located and designed for accommodating the number of bins required
• storage areas for bins should be sited so that the distance residents are required to carry refuse does not exceed 30 metres, in line with the Building Regulations 2002, Part H
• the collection vehicle should be able to approach to within a minimum distance of 8 metres of the bin store/agreed collection point
• surfaces that bins need to be moved over shall be of a smooth continuous finish and free from steps or other obstacles. Any steps should incorporate a dropkerb. Doorways should provide at least 1.4 metres clearance.
• a walkway at least 1.4 metres wide should be provided within the bin store that allows access to each of the individual bins and ensures that an individual bin can be removed from the store without the need to move any of the others
• chutes are not encouraged in flat or apartment developments as they can create problems for segregating and storing waste for recycling
• storage areas should allow a clear space of at least 150mm between and around each bin and be a minimum of 2m high - the storage area should be permanently ventilated and should have a paved impervious floor
• it is the responsibility of the caretaker or management company (or similar) to allow the collection crews access to the bin stores or collection point on collection day and to ensure that access is not restricted, for example by parked cars
• collection crews cannot be expected to hold keys, codes or electronic fobs in order to collect bins; following collection, bins should be returned to storage as promptly as possible - here should be a clear responsibility for who carries out this task
• collection vehicles cannot collect bins that are presented on a slope exceeding 1:12; also the gradient of a slope that bins need to be moved over shall not exceed 1:12
•  separate stores for refuse and recycling bins should always be provided for the commercial and residential aspects of a development  the mixing of commercial waste and domestic waste is forbidden

Sufficient room should be allowed to manoeuvre and load a refuse collection vehicle of the following dimensions (metres):

Fully laden collection vehicles weigh approximately 32 tonnes, service manholes and road surfaces should be constructed with this in mind. Overhead service cables, pipes, archways and other potential obstacles must be at least 7 metres from ground level. Collection vehicles should not be required to reverse into the development from a major road, or reverse onto a major road when exiting the development.

In order to ensure collections are made, please contact the council to arrange bin provision before occupation. Please allow 14 days for delivery of bins where provided by Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

Typical bin dimensions