Thousands oppose three-weekly bin collection plan

Cheshire East Council said it needed to reduce collections as part of its savings plan

Thousands of people have opposed a council’s plan to collect household waste once every three weeks, according to a report.

Residents were recently consulted on Cheshire East Council’s proposal to collect black bins every three weeks rather than every fortnight.

It is part of the authority’s plan to make savings of £91m over the next four years in an attempt to stave off effective bankruptcy.

A report into the public consultation, published by the council, said about 84% of the 6,257 people who responded had objected to the idea – roughly 5,255 respondents.

It stated that many people said they already struggled with the current fortnightly arrangement and were concerned the proposal would “lead to an increase in vermin, pests and smells” due to overflowing bins.

“An increase in fly-tipping and contamination of other bins were also raised as concerns, especially since the recent closure of some of the local HWRC [household waste recycling centre] sites and the introduction of the booking system at the weekend,” the report added.

Other concerns also referred to the potential impact on particular groups, including large families, elderly people, rural communities and people in terraced housing with little outdoor space.

Cheshire East Council said the proposal was the only way it could fund its legal requirement to introduce weekly food waste pick-ups by April 2026.

It estimated that the weekly food collections would cost the authority an extra £1.5m.

The proposal came after the council permanently closed household waste and recycling sites in Bollington, Poynton and Middlewich in August to “ensure essential cost savings can be made”.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.