New wheelie bin pilot scheme to be tested on 3,000 Milton Keynes homes

A Milton Keynes Council (MKC) spokesperson said the pilot will test the uses of wheelie bins to replace sacks to see whether it will: keep the streets of MK cleaner with less bags being ripped open by wildlife; increase the levels of recycling; and, it is safer for residents and collection crews.

MKC said it will be trying out the new waste collection system from Monday, October 26.

Residents will be provided with three bins replacing black bags, recycling sacks and the blue box.

Instead, one bin will be for residual waste, a bin for paper and a bin for all other recycling including glass, metal and plastics.

For those homes unable to accommodate bins, boxes similar to the current blue box will be provided. Green waste and assisted collections will remain unchanged.

Those who live within the pilot area can expect to receive a letter from the council by the end of September about it.

The spokesperson said the pilot will help MKC develop options for consultation, and learn about how people use and feel about wheelie bins before any decision is made.

MKC will be asking for feedback from people in the pilot and from the teams making the collections. A 12-week borough wide public consultation will start on November 2. A decision will be made in March 2021 ahead of implementation in 2023 at the end of the current waste collection contract.

Councillor Emily Darlington said: “Last year I promised that we could look at cleaner, greener and safer solutions to MK’s waste collection. MK is one of the best places for high recycling rates in the UK, and was one of the first places in the country to introduce kerbside recycling , back in 1992. It was the first to build its own in-borough recycling plant.

“This pilot will test whether wheelie bins are part of the solution in making MK the greenest city.”

The pilot will cover the following areas: New Bradwell, Astwood, Hardmead, Brooklands, Chicheley, Monkston (part), Moulsoe, Monkston Park, Little Crawley, Grange Farm, Lakes Estate (part).

MKC said the areas were chosen to cover a wide range of properties from Victorian terraces to newer homes, with gardens and outside spaces of various sizes. All properties types have been surveyed to check suitability for wheeled bins.

More information on the waste collection pilot is on the MK Council website.