Recycling collections will not be reduced in York – but some changes are coming

Recycling collections in York will not change to once every three weeks – after thousands of people had their say on the proposals in a council consultation.

But changes are planned to some waste collections. Residents can now put glass, plastic and tins in the same recycling box – but card and paper must still be kept separate as it will not be recyclable if it has shards of glass in it.

Green garden waste collections will also be extended and will run from March to November, rather than April to November, from 2022.

Senior councillors are also set to agree to plans to buy a low emission fleet of recycling vehicles which will be able to operate within the city’s new clean air zone, which currently applies to buses.

There are also plans to give wheelie bins to people in certain streets that currently put out black bin bags for household waste – but these proposals are set to be decided at a later date.

City of York Council launched a survey on plans to move recycling collections to once every three weeks in March and saw a huge response – with more than 22,000 comments on the proposals.

Cllr Paula Widdowson said the team has listened to residents’ views and James Gilchrist from the council said some residents felt the planned changes were too complicated.

Government consultations have since been launched on plans to change national recycling policies and Cllr Widdowson said it is therefore not a good time to change the frequency of collections or the containers for recycling in York.

‘We have listened’

Cllr Widdowson said: “We are responding to what residents have said and have listened to them.

“All of the suburbs really want the extra green waste collections. A significant amount of people said they don’t need it all year round.”

The council wants to increase the amount of waste recycled in the city for environmental reasons, but also because it is cheaper to recycle than to send waste to landfill.

Mr Gilchrist said: “We have been mixing plastic, tins and glass during Covid as a test. That has worked and there is no financial impact.”

He said it makes it easier for residents to recycle and they can start mixing tin, plastic and glass now – but paper and card must still be put in a separate box.

About 6,200 households in Micklegate, Guildhall, Clifton, Holgate and Heworth that put their bins out in black bags could get wheelie bins instead in future – but Mr Gilchrist said it will depend on the circumstances for each street and people in flats or homes without outdoor space will still be able to use bin bags.

Cllr Widdowson said wheelie bins are better for binmen and residents because they do not have to be lifted and they stop bags being ripped open.

Green bin rounds are currently disrupted due to a shortage of drivers and the council is urging anyone who has HGV class 2 training, or who wants to train, to contact them by visiting workwithyork.co.uk

The recycling changes are set to be approved at a meeting next Thursday.