Noticeboard

With the festive season fast approaching, residents are being advised on the arrangements for waste and recycling collections over the Christmas and New Year period.

West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) waste and recycling collection crews will be working throughout the festive season to make sure that residents can continue to recycle and dispose of their Christmas waste.

Downloadable bin calendars that detail the collection arrangements for the year ahead are now available on the Council’s website and residents can also download the West Northamptonshire Council app to check collections, what goes in which bin and set regular reminders.

The main things to remember are:

South Northamptonshire area collections due on Wednesday 25 December will take place on Monday 23 December and collections due on Thursday 26 December, will instead take place on Saturday 28 December. Collections due on Wednesday 1 January will take place on Monday 30 December.
Garden waste collections will be suspended from Saturday 21 December to Saturday 4 January across the whole of West Northamptonshire.

Crews will collect real Christmas trees for composting between 6 and 17 January.
Residents in the Daventry and South Northants areas should put real Christmas trees out on the day that garden waste is due to be collected in their area.
In the Northampton area, real trees should be put out next to recycling bins, and those on sack collections can present trees beside their recycling boxes and black sacks on their collection day.
Please ensure any trees over 6ft tall are cut in half, so they will fit into the lorries safely and that all decorations are removed.

You do not need a garden waste subscription to put out your real Christmas tree for collection.
Additional recycling can be put out in clear plastic bags or boxes alongside recycling bins and boxes or can also be taken to the nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC).

Our recycling centres are open as usual throughout the festive period except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, when they will be closed. Centres will also close early on Christmas Eve, at 2pm.

Cllr Rebecca Breese, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Waste said: “I would like to say a big thank you to our collection crews and waste and recycling centre staff who continuously provide an outstanding and essential service to residents throughout the year, in all weather conditions.

“During the festive season, households often have more recycling and waste, and I would encourage people to ensure that they are disposing of their waste properly, so that we can all do our bit to recycle. People can find out more on what goes in which bin and search for tips about how to have a more sustainable Christmas, for example by reducing their food waste, via our website or on the WNC app.”

Find out more information about waste and recycling collections this Christmas on the WNC website.

Contact Information
West Northamptonshire Council Communications Team
communications@westnorthants.gov.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I own a watercourse?

Find out more information here: www.gov.uk/guidance/owning-a-watercourse

Is my area at risk of flooding?

Find out if your area is at risk of flooding, the current alerts and warnings that have been issued and sign up for free flood warnings here www.gov.uk/check-flooding or call our Floodline service on 0345 988 1188. Sign up for flood warnings here: www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings

An explanation about what flood warnings are and what to do is available here www.gov.uk/guidance/flood-alerts-and-warnings-what-they-are-and-what-to-do

You may find this document helpful on surface water flooding https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-risk-maps-for-surface-water-how-to-use-the-map but if you do have concerns regarding surface water flooding, this will be addressed by your local authority.

Who maintains the flood risk asset near me?

Structures or features that help manage the risk of flooding or coastal erosion can be designated as a flood risk management asset. Please use the following government link to find out who is the maintainer of these assets: https://environment.data.gov.uk/asset-management/index.html

What more can I do to protect my property?

You can find out how to put together Flood Plans for your home, business or community here www.gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding 

If you think you are about to be flooded (i.e. flood warning or severe flood warning issued) then please:

Turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies, if it is safe to do so – do not touch an electrical switch if you’re standing in water

Move your family, vehicles, pets and important items to safety e.g. upstairs or higher ground

Use flood products if you have them e.g. flood barriers or air brick covers

Follow advice from the emergency services or local council – you may be asked to evacuate

You could prepare an Emergency Bag of essential items. This might include spare glasses, waterproof coat, medication and a copy of any recent prescription, water, food, insurance documents and pet food. You could consider hand sanitiser and a face covering too.

Do shop around to find the right insurance policy for you. Why not see if Flood Re can help – www.floodre.co.uk ? This is a joint initiative between Government and insurers aiming to make the flood cover part of household insurance policies more affordable. For advice about insurance look online here: www.gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding/get-insurance. 

We the undersigned petition the council to We call upon WNC, as our local transport authority to act decisively to ensure that Rural Bus Services become a priority for its residents to access schools, colleges and employment in and around Northampton and that the communities of Hartwell, Ashton, Roade, Quinton and Wootton do not continue to be left behind without a suitable service. Jointly running a service with Milton Keynes Council is NOT a reason to decline a petition. Your support with the issues surrounding the 33 / X33 timetable would be appreciated.

We call upon West Northamptonshire Council to urgently address critical issues with local bus services that impact children's ability to attend school safely and on time. For over two years, children in Hartwell and surrounding villages have relied on the 7:30/7:40 morning bus to arrive at school by 8:20. This service is consistently full and essential for ensuring punctual school attendance. The newly amended timetable, however, now fails to provide a bus that arrives in time for school start, leaving students with no viable option to get there punctually.

The afternoon timetable changes are equally concerning. For the past nine months, the return bus has been amended to 4:20 PM, an hour after school finishes, already leaving students waiting in the cold and dark. The latest changes now increase this delay to over two hours, posing an unacceptable risk to their safety and wellbeing.

The council has a duty of care to support students' access to education and ensure their safety. We urge West Northamptonshire Council to reinstate both a 7:30 AM bus and a 3:30 PM return bus to provide students with reliable transportation to and from school. The recent shift to a "consistent" two-hourly service is not only inefficient but disregards the needs of our children and communities, leaving buses likely to run empty while students wait unnecessarily.

This is not a "nice to have"—it is a vital service for families in West Northamptonshire

Click on the link below to register.

ePetition - Sign our petition calling for a reliable bus service for Hartwell, Ashton, Roade, Quinton and Wootton - West Northamptonshire Council

A letter from the Local MP

You can look at local maps to see Buildings, Rights of Way, trees that are the responsibility of the WNC and much more. Click on the above link.