Bin changes set to improve district recycling rate

East Cambs District Council is planning to replace black bags with wheeled bins - and increase food waste collections

Proposals to bring in black wheeled bins, weekly food waste collections and enhance a free garden waste service will be put to a council this month.

The plans, drawn up by East Cambridgeshire District Council, are designed to benefit residents and the environment by increasing the district’s recycling rate.

If approved, the districts residents will continue to have a free fortnightly collection service and benefit from plans to remove additional bin charges in 2026.

Leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, Anna Bailey, said the plans could create a "cleaner, greener East Cambridgeshire”.

For residents, the changes mean continued free garden waste collection, free extra blue and green bins on request and food waste collections weekly.

In addition, the charges for additional bins will be removed from spring 2026 so residents can request a green and blue bin free of charge if one is not enough.

The council hoped by also replacing a black sack collection with a wheeled bin and introducing weekly food waste collections it would reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill and prevent litter escaping.

'Cleaner and greener'

If approved by the operational services committee on 23 September, the council aims to bring in all the changes from spring 2026.

The council said it could save the equivalent carbon produced by travelling three million miles in a petrol car each year, helping the council meet its core environmental objective.

Ms Bailey said: "This will help reduce the amount of non-recyclable rubbish and food waste going into landfill.

"Last year we recycled 58% of waste putting us in the top 20 local authorities in the country when it comes to recycling. This included a staggering 7000 tonnes of dry recyclables and 11,000 tonnes of green waste.

"I know our residents recognise the importance of recycling and with their help I know we can improve our excellent recycling rate even further helping us all create a cleaner, greener East Cambridgeshire."