Application for an extra rubbish bag to be collected

We will apply the following criteria to your application for an extra rubbish bag (opens in a new window) :

Household family size

Households of six or more permanent residents are eligible to put out one extra bag, as long as they meet all other relevant conditions such recycling and keeping your waste to a minimum. If you make an application for an extra rubbish bag to be collected, evidence of the number of residents may be requested. 

Children under 30 months

You can apply to put out one extra bag a week if you have young children under 30 months. You could also consider using real nappies. These are modern washable nappies which are specially shaped, have modern fasteners and can be washed in the washing machine at a moderate temperature. Using real nappies can save you up to £600 and you can make further savings if you use them with subsequent children. Dorset County Council is offering parents the opportunity to receive £30 off the cost of real nappies. Please note copies of birth certificates may be requested to support your application.

Circumstances of household occupants

If your household produces a large amount of medical waste (due to disability or medical condition) you can apply to put out additional waste. We will request your permission to check with your doctor if we need additional information to approve your application. We will however still consider your recycling options when making our decision.

You can also apply if there are other exceptional circumstances (such as mobility problems where no one in the household can physically recycle) that lead to you producing a higher level of waste than normal. We will consider each case individually, but would expect that you make every reasonable effort to keep the amount of waste you produce to a minimum.

Recycling

We will help you to recycle as much as possible.  Paper, cardboard, glass bottles, jars, clean food and drink cans and aerosols can all be recycled through the kerbside green box and bag scheme and batteries can be taken using a battery bag. Food waste should be placed in your kerbside food bin.  Household recycling centres are also available across the district for the recycling of many household items. The link will show your nearest facility and the items they can take. Large household items can be taken to the household recycling centres or you can contact the council for a bulky waste collection.

Households who do not recycle will not receive permission to put out extra rubbish, and we reserve the right to withdraw the permission if you fail to recycle. Your refuse bags or bin should not be used to dispose of items that can be recycled using our kerbside recycling services. 

If you do not have a green box, bag or battery bag please request one from the Customer Services team.

Reducing your waste

You can reduce the volume of your waste by flattening or squashing items before putting them into your bin. Reducing junk mail, using  freegle (opens in a new window)  or  freecycle (opens in a new window) for unwanted items, cutting down on packaging, reusing things you might otherwise throw away, donating quality items to charity shops, contacting furniture reuse organisations or using reusable nappies can all help you cut down the amount of rubbish you need to throw away.

If you need more help and advice call the district council and one of our recycling team can visit you to help find more ways of reducing your waste that goes to landfill.

Requesting an additional waste application

If you would like to apply for additional waste and feel you meet one or more of the above criteria please complete an online application form (opens in a new window) .

Once your form has been received we aim to process it within five working days. We will contact you if further evidence is required or if we feel it necessary to visit you at home and once the assessment has been completed we will advise you in writing of our decision.

• West Dorset District Council Customer Services
  Name: West Dorset District Council
  Email: custservices@westdorset-dc.gov.uk
  Tel: 01305 251010
  Fax: 01305 251481
  Full details for West Dorset District Council