Council considers three-week bin collection rota

A council is exploring moving bin collections to a three-week rota across the region, as part of a wider review of its waste contract.

West Northamptonshire Council wants to create a consistent service across the area, with places like Daventry currently operating across three weeks and Northampton across two.

It has finished an initial investigation into the switch-up and will look again at the proposals later this year.

A spokesperson said the benefits of three-weekly collection included "increased participation by residents in separate collection services, which increases overall recycling performance", and bin lorry mileage also being reduced.

Current waste arrangements from legacy councils end in 2028 and the new rota could start immediately after the current contract ends.

Councillors were told at a meeting on 13 January that officers had been participating with a group of other local authorities that would prefer to move to three-weekly collections.

Parts of the region already operate on a three-week schedule, with the former Daventry district introducing a '1-2-3' system in 2018, which includes weekly food waste collections, fortnightly recycling pick-ups and general waste collections every three weeks.

James Hill, Conservative councillor for Billing and Rectory Farm, acknowledged the change could be a "big issue" in areas still using a fortnightly system, and asked whether the differing needs of urban and rural communities had been considered.

Fiona Unett, the assistant director for waste, said the Daventry model had "strong advocates" and that the review would explore solutions for different housing types, such as flats and terraced properties.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, if the council moves forward with the changes, a public consultation will be held.

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