RECYCLING and waste collections in Colchester will return to normal this week, following disruption caused by coronavirus.

Due to staff shortages and social distancing guidelines the authority was forced to stop some collections and make others four-weekly.

However things have changed and the authority has been working on a plan to get back to normal service.

From tomorrow collections will return back to their normal cycle before the changes were made.

Here are the rules:

  • Three black bags, or one wheelie bin, of general household waste will be collected from doorsteps each fortnight.
  • An unlimited amount of plastic and paper/cardboard recycling will be collected each fortnight.
  • Food waste caddies will be emptied every week.
  • Garden waste will go back to the usual fortnightly collections, with pickups having restarted late last month.
  • Textile recycling collections will not yet return to normal. An announcement will be made at a later date. 
  • Residents are reminded Bank Holidays do not affect collection days.
  • Recycling calendars are available online at colchester.gov.uk/recycling.

The latest figures for paper and plastic, since monthly collections began on 14 April, show 1,143.5 tonnes of paper (142.9 tonnes per week average) and 449.8 tonnes of plastic (56.2 tonnes per week average) were recycled in the borough.

Since monthly collections of glass and cans began on the 28 April, 885.5 tonnes of glass (110.6 tonnes per week average) and 207.7 tonnes of cans (25.9 tonnes per week average) were recycled borough-wide.

Following the resumption, on 25 May, of Garden Waste collections 1,424.9 tonnes (474.9 tonnes per week average) have been picked up kerbside. In addition, extra vehicles on Saturdays picked up 109.4 tonnes over a four-week period, bringing the total collected to 1534.3 tonnes.

Average weekly collection figures for residual and food waste currently stand at 552.7 tonnes and 132.84 tonnes respectively.

Martin Goss, councillor responsible for waste, environment and transportation, said: "I would like to thank our residents for their understanding and for working with us to support the temporary changes to our recycling and rubbish collections since lockdown began.

“I would especially like to thank our waste and recycling crews – our frontline heroes – for their hard work and dedication throughout this crisis. Despite running a reduced service since early April, they have continued to deal with vast amounts of waste. We salute you.

“Now, thanks to a phenomenal amount of work that has gone on behind the scenes, we are ready to get our recycling collections up and running as normal.”

Visit colchester.gov.uk to find out more.