Fewer bin collections and garden waste fee plans

Westmorland and Furness Council is discussing the changes next week

A new garden waste charge and fewer bin collections are on the cards for residents, as a council looks to save £3m over the next three years.

Westmorland and Furness Council's cabinet is to discuss changes to "harmonise" its waste collection services across the former Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland council areas.

Garden waste charges could be introduced in Eden and South Lakeland, to bring the areas in line with Barrow, where residents pay £51 a year for collections. Any fees would have to be agreed by the full council.

Reducing weekly, non-recyclable waste collections to fortnightly is also being considered in Barrow and Eden, in line with South Lakeland.

The three areas have different rules because they used to have three separate councils, now replaced by Westmorland and Furness.

The former Allerdale, Copeland and Carlisle council areas have undergone a similar process, since being replaced by Cumberland Council.

Westmorland and Furness Council said the move would help it "meet our commitment to become net zero carbon by 2037", as well as save cash.

"There are existing savings anticipated to be achieved from the waste change programme of £1m in 2027-28, rising to £3m by 2029-30," a report prepared ahead of the discussion on 9 September said.

It added that its current waste budget was £9.4m, excluding the £300,000 it collected from garden waste fees.

Other changes being considered include introducing wheelie bins for recycling and replacing sacks and containers where in use.

The council said the changes would "improve waste reduction, recycling and reuse" and would be introduced gradually, with some starting "in the next few months" and others taking much longer.

A spokesman said: "While a new harmonised waste service would bring long-term benefits, these changes wouldn't take place all at once."