Wheelie bins used under the current weekly refuse collection system in Central Otago will be removed by the contractor next week.
The Central Otago District Council said the green-lidded bins should be put out for the last weekly collection next week, whether they contained rubbish or not.
They would be collected by the contractor, which owned the bins, on each area's last weekly collection day.
Council infrastructure services manager Jon Kingsford said people should make sure they left the bins out.
He said the used bins ''won't just be chucked out. Any bins that are close to failure will most likely be recycled.''
The council asked residents to help absentee home-owners, and crib-owners, by placing their bins on the kerbside for collection.
As of June 30, refuse collections will move to a fortnightly service, and Bannockburn, Pisa Moorings, sections of Manuherikia Rd, and Letts Gully Rd in Alexandra, will be included in pick-ups.
The new contract will be delivered by provider AllWaste.
The current contract, ending next week, was delivered by Ecowaste Ltd, which was sold to Trojan Holdings Ltd by the same couple who previously also owned Pratty's Bins, a private skip service.
New, red-lidded wheelie bins, to be used during the incoming collection service, are being distributed throughout the region.
