Council has written to properties in commercial areas across the district this week to advise them that they will no longer receive kerbside collection services when the new contract for rubbish and recycling begins in September this year.

When the new contract begins, households will receive an improved kerbside collection service, including a new food waste bin (collected weekly) and new wheelie bin for rubbish (collected fortnightly), alongside their existing recycling bins. But due to logistical challenges with collecting in commercial areas, the new service will not be available in business and industrial areas.

"We know this will be an inconvenience for a lot of business owners, and it wasn't a decision we made lightly," says Mayor Adrienne Wilcock. "We sought quotes for commercial collections as part of the tender process, but the costs were significantly higher than  the costs for residential areas."

"Through that process, it was clear that private waste service providers would be able to provide more flexible collections that better meet the range of needs in our business community, at a lower cost than what Council could procure. We don't want to charge businesses more for a service that doesn't suit them. "

We are still confirming the details of the changes to residential kerbside collections (such as new rubbish days, when the new bins will be delivered, and exactly how it will impact rates) and will be communicating these details widely once confirmed. However, we wanted to give business owners as much notice as possible of the decision around commercial areas to allow them time to research and arrange private rubbish and recycling collection. We have compiled a list of waste service providers and the services they offer. We'll also be meeting with the local Business Associations/Chambers of Commerce during late March/early April, and are running an online Q&A session at 1pm on Thursday 16 March - you can register for this here.

For further updates on the changes to rubbish and recycling visit the kerbside changes project page, sign up for email updates or install the free Antenno app