30066-03SWINDON Council will begin deliveries of bin bags in May. A number of Swindon residents have contacted the Evening Advertiser to say that they had received only a small number of bags or none at all.

Swindon Council used to deliver 52 bags each year to each household, in four deliveries of 13 bags each.

This year, however, to reduce delivery costs, the bags will be delivered in a single bundle of 52.

George Walker, contracts manager at Swindon Services, said: "There are lots of reasons for doing this. Obviously one delivery a year is cheaper than four and manufacturing one large bundle is cheaper than making four.

"But some customers will receive four bundles of 13 bags while we clear stocks."

The council has also recently begun a separate garden waste service. In the past, garden waste was simply put in the same dustcart, which dumped on to landfill.

Now residents can put their garden waste out in a green bag (sold at £1 each from libraries, leisure centres and parish council offices) with their normal rubbish and a second vehicle will collect it and take it to be composted. The compost will eventually be available to residents.

Mr Walker said: "With landfill tax currently costing £15 per tonne we can save a lot of money by composting and it is very good for the environment."

Anthony Osborne