City council to end weekly black bin collections

The council plans a new weekly collection of food waste as part of the change

The existing weekly bin collection system in Leicester is to be scrapped, council bosses have confirmed.

Leicester City Council has set out plans to empty wheelie bins holding non-recyclable rubbish once a fortnight rather than once a week.

Change would come alongside the introduction of a new bin for weekly collections of food waste, the council added.

It also plans to replace the current orange bag recycling system with single blue wheelie bins for mixed recycling for most homes in the city.

The move is among a number of major changes to rubbish collections proposed over the next three years, with the council's current waste contract due to end in May 2028.

Under the plans, the council said all homes are to be provided with an indoor kitchen caddy to collect food waste, and a separate outdoor bin for just food waste intended to be put out for collection every week.

The council said food waste currently accounts for about 40% of wheelie bin waste in the city.

It said the new weekly food waste collections would significantly reduce the amount of waste being put into black bins.

Officials said that would make the bins less smelly, meaning they would not need to be emptied as regularly.

'Time to adapt'

The council said the introduction of blue bins for recycling would help make it easier for households to store mixed recyclables like glass, plastic, tins, cardboard and paper while reducing mess on the streets.

No changes are planned for the existing fortnightly garden waste collection service, the council confirmed.

Deputy city mayor Elly Cutkelvin said: "Like all councils, we're having to make big changes to how our waste and recycling services will work in future as we respond to new national legislation.

"The government has introduced new rules designed to increase national recycling rates.

"This includes the requirement to introduce new weekly food waste collections from next year for all councils.

"What we're proposing will mean that residents won't lose the capacity or convenience that they have now and will continue to receive two waste collections every week.

"The changes will also be introduced over the next three years giving people plenty of time to adapt."

The council is set to receive additional government funding of more than £2.2m to help set up the new weekly food waste collection service.

It said annual funding would also be provided by the Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to help meet the running costs of the new service.

It is anticipated that the revised waste collection services will help reduce carbon emissions by about 5,000 tonnes per year, the council said.

The proposed changes follow a public consultation earlier this year involving more than 5,000 people, the council said.

Final proposals for the rollout of the new weekly food waste collection service in Leicester are still to be determined, the council added.

A formal decision is expected to be taken on the proposed changes later this month.