Articles

Free bulky waste for pensioners

Date Posted: 1:03 PM on Fri, 26 March 2021

11,000 residents across Gedling will be eligible for a free bulky waste collection as part of a new scheme launched by Gedling Borough Council. From April, any pension-aged resident can request a one-off collection of any large items such as sofas, fridge freezers, carpets, mattresses and other items at no cost.

The service is being introduced as part of the council’s ongoing work to support elderly residents and reduce inequality and hardship in the borough. The scheme was announced by the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council at a Full Council meeting earlier this month and was approved by Councillors as part of the budget proposals for the next year.

This new scheme will work alongside the existing provision of a free bulky waste collection for all households in the borough in January and February each year. This year, hundreds of households took advantage of the free collection, which also helps to reduce fly tipping and contaminated bins. This new scheme will work in the same way except it will be available all year round. By taking advantage of this service, eligible customers will be saving up to £30 based on a three-item collection.

Bookings for the free collections can be made from April by calling the council on 0115 901 3901. When requesting the service, customers will be asked to confirm that they are of pensionable age and collections are subject to availability.

Deputy Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor Michael Payne said;

“I’m proud that we’ve been able to offer this free bulky waste service to over 11,000 eligible elderly residents. It will give them a chance to get rid of any unwanted items and save them up to £30 that, for many, will be a much needed saving during these difficult times.

While some residents can rely on friends and family to help them to remove unwanted items, we know not everyone can, particularly some of our more vulnerable and isolated residents.

We already run an incredibly popular free collection period each year in January and February for all households, but this additional offer will be available all year round, for pensioners and I hope it will be of great benefit.

In spite of the severe funding cuts to our services and a reduction in government grants, we are continuing to offer our residents the support that matters to them the most and this is another example of how we are focused on serving people and improving lives.”