Bin collection changes in bid to boost recycling

Councillor Chris Watts said the move was part of a wider strategy

Residents in a Wiltshire town will see their bin collection days permanently move forward by two working days from 25 December.

The move in Swindon is part of a wider effort to combat low recycling rates and avoid a backlog of roughly 40,000 collections which caused numerous problems in 2023.

The town's current recycling rate is 37%, well below the government's target of 65% and making it the worst performer in the region.

"Previously maybe not enough effort has been put in to bringing in a new system for recycling and now we can build on one to try and drive those figures up," said Chris Watts, cabinet member for environment and transport at Swindon Borough Council.

The new system starts with immediate effect on Christmas Day which falls on a Wednesday this year.

Customers who normally have their waste collected on a Wednesday are instead being asked to put their bins out on Fridays.

Those who leave their bins out on Thursdays will instead be putting them out for collection on Mondays.

The new collection dates will remain in place going forward until next year when they will move forward again.

It is hoped the move will prevent household waste building up over the Christmas period

Last year, a combination of a new system and a pause during the Christmas period lead to a waste collection backlog that took weeks to clear and cost the council a £2 million overspend.

"Not having that backlog will make a huge difference and will save us a lot of money" said Mr Watts.

"Like other councils, we're in a hard pressed position and we've got to take that into consideration."

Last month it was revealed Swindon Council is forecast to go £10m over budget by the end of the financial year unless cost-saving actions are taken.

The council said improving recycling rates would help it save funds and hit green targets.

"We've gone from 30% to 37% relatively quickly and there are numerous levers we can pull that can help us get up to that 65% national target by 2030," said Mr Watts.

"At the moment it costs us £150 to incinerate every tonne of black bin waste and the more we can keep out of them, the more we can invest in recycling which is an income for us."

Councils make money from recycling by selling waste to firms who then recycle the products.

Waste collection is a big expense for local authorities.

Earlier this month, a leaked document revealed Bristol City Council was considering cutting black bin collections to once a month in a bid to cut costs and boost recycling.