Last night's Council meeting gave the go-ahead to a new recycling and waste service for the district, which will enable residents to recycle more materials conveniently from home. From 1 October 2012, an improved recycling and waste service will include:

• Weekly collections of food waste from an animal proof container at the boundary of the property.

• Alternate week collections of mixed recycling from a wheeled bin at the boundary of the property.

• Alternate week collections of residual waste from the rear of properties.

The new service will have significant benefits for residents and the council including:

• Meeting residents' desire for increasing recycling and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.

• Being easier to use, as there will be no need to sort the recycling. It can all go into one bin.

• Free containers provided by Tandridge District Council, for food waste and recycling materials.

• The weekly collection of food waste, such as fruit and vegetable peelings and left over food.

• Being able to recycle a wider range of materials such as paper, cans, aerosols, foil, glass, tetra-paks and most plastics.

• An increased recycling rate (currently 33%). Residents in other areas using similar schemes and their councils are recycling more than 60%.

• Reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill by accepting more materials for recycling and collecting food waste. This has benefits for the environment and reduces landfill tax.

• Reducing the mileage of collection vehicles and fuel use. Apart from providing a better and easier service, these changes will also result in significant annual savings of up to £1m a year for the Council.

Councillor Tony Elias, Chairman of the Community Services Committee, said: "This is great news for residents and the Council. We will be sending out more details in the coming months and hope residents will welcome the new service and the benefits it will bring. The new service will meet residents' demand for more recycling opportunities, in a way which makes it as convenient as possible for them."

Please visit www.tandridge.gov.uk/newservice for a list of frequently asked questions, or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..