CHANGES to rubbish collection days have left some residents in a spin over when to put their bins out.

From October 31 just over half of Swindon’s households saw changes to the days their household waste, recycling and garden waste is collected.

The council wrote to every household in the borough to outline whether they would be affected by the changes, and if so, included information about the new collection dates.But the change in waste collection has left some town centre residents confused.

In Whitehead Street the majority of homeowners put out their bins on Wednesday morning, a full two days ahead of rubbish collection.

One resident, who was one of only four homeowners not to put the bins out, said:

“I received the leaflet from the council and read the stories in the Adver to say that the bin collection date was changing from Wednesday to Friday, so I didn’t put my bin out. I heard a few bins being moved around in the evening and assumed a couple of people hadn’t read the letter but when I left for work this morning virtually every house had a bin outside it – and not just in my street but all the surrounding streets all the way into Old Town. If I hadn’t been running late I’d have gone back to put mine out too as by that point I thought I must have misread the leaflet.

Another resident said: “I don’t remember seeing anything from the council but then again I might have thrown it out. I didn’t realise until you told me, I’ll definitely be taking my bins in now.

Another added: “I saw the note from the council but I knew everybody would put their bins out anyway. It’s difficult to get into a new routine, especially when it’s one you have gotten used to.”

As part of the changes the council is also asking residents to sort and separate their recycled waste in their boxes to help crews deal with waste more efficiently at the kerbside.

Every household, regardless of whether they are affected by the changes or not, will receive a calendar with the next few months’ collection dates

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “The changes to waste and recycling days affect about 50,000 households so they will inevitably take time to bed in and we would like to take this opportunity to thank residents for their patience as they adjust to the new arrangements.

“We wrote to all households in the borough explaining the changes, including those in Whitehead Street, and included a calendar showing the collection days for the next few months. To supplement this we also publicised the new waste routes extensively in the local media and on social media.

“We would advise any residents in Whitehead Street who have put their waste out today (Weds) to bring their bins back in and put them back out on Friday.

“If residents have missed their letter or are unsure if they are affected they can visit our website and use a specialty created postcode checker: www.swindon.gov.uk/bins”