Wokingham Borough Council plans fewer bin collections to save cash

The council says it could save up to £1.8m per year from 2026 if the changes are brought in

A council wants to reduce its weekly bin collections to save money amid the cost of living crisis as it seeks to plug a £25m hole in its finances.

Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) intends to keep weekly food waste collections but move to less frequent general rubbish and recycling bin collection.

It blamed "unprecedented financial pressures, new government legislation and climate emergency goals".

The council has launched a public consultation to get residents' views.

WBC leader Clive Jones said a "reduction in government funding" and rising costs of "providing basic services" had led to the move.

"If we continue collections as they are now, an additional £500,000 per year would be needed on top of the £5m waste service budget. If we make the changes, we could save up to £1.8m per year, depending on which option we choose," he said.

'Wealthy borough'

The council needs to make savings of £25m over the next three years in order to continue delivering essential public services at the current level, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The proposed waste collection changes would be introduced in 2026 and WBC said it could save another £700,000 a year right away if the proposal was brought in sooner.

Mr Jones said he would rather see general rubbish collected less frequently than the council unable to deliver essential services for residents.

"We are for the most part a wealthy borough, but this cost-of-living crisis is going to hit many of us hard and we need to make savings wherever we can," he said.

WBC also wants to increase its recycling rate from 54% to 70% by 2030 and said the experience of other councils showed that "changing from weekly to fortnightly or three-weekly general rubbish collections" will help, LDRS reported.

The consultation runs until 5 December.