Once-a-month collections – and two more wheelie bins: Big recycling changes in prospect

Recycling collections could move to once every three weeks – or even once a month – under council plans to review waste rounds.

Black bins will still be collected fortnightly.

But under new proposals, residents could get bigger recycling bins and they would move from fortnightly collections to once every three weeks, or once a month.

The council is trying to get residents to recycle more and is reviewing its approach to bin rounds.

There are three options under consideration:

• Option A would see no changes to collections but a communications campaign launched to encourage people to recycle more.
• Option B would see no changes to black bin collections – but would see recycling rounds move to once every three weeks. Residents would get another recycling box for paper and card and a wheelie bin for plastic tins and glass. And garden waste collections would increase to once every three weeks all year round.
• Option C would see no changes to black bin collections. But recycling collections would move to once a month and the council would also begin collecting textiles and batteries. Residents would get a wheelie bin for paper and card, another wheelie bin for plastic, tins and glass, a box for textiles and a box for batteries. Garden waste collections would stay the same, at once a fortnight from April 1 to the end of November.

Worry about space

Councillors have discussed the proposals at a meeting where they were invited to raise any concerns before the plans take a step forward.

Cllr Dave Taylor said he is worried some residents will not have space for extra bins.

He added: “I also don’t buy that 33 per cent more capacity [in recycling bins] is going to lead to 33 per cent more material being recycled.”

Cllr Claire Douglas raised concerns about increasing garden waste collections – saying it benefits residents living in certain areas but that a lot of city centre homes do not use them. She questioned if increasing garden waste rounds would be a good move financially.

Ben Grabham, head of environment at the council, said increasing in the size of recycling containers could lead to an increase in recycling rates.

James Gilchrist from the council added that the waste team will need to work with residents on narrow terraced streets to make sure any changes work for these areas.

He said he believes option B could save the council hundreds of thousands of pounds, but did not yet have an exact figure.

He added that the council had also considered using an app to let residents know what waste would be collected that week.

Cllr Anne Hook said: “I agree that option B would be best, certainly for my residents as I represent a York outer ward.”

She said people may not have enough textiles or batteries to need a monthly collection for these items.

Cllr Douglas said: “The options we have are so wildly different from each other that it’s difficult to see what tweaks we could make to any of them to make them work for the most people in the city.

“I’m not convinced that option B will do what we need it to. And option C – I’m not even entertaining that.”

Cllr Taylor said: “I do have concerns, I think a three week cycle is going to be very confusing for residents.”

The feedback will now be considered by the executive member for environment and the council’s waste team.