South Gloucestershire: Black bin four-week collection discussed

Councillor Rachael Hunt said South Gloucestershire's recycling rate of 60% is "excellent"

Black-bin collections in an area with one of England's highest recycling rates could be cut to every four weeks.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is looking at waste collection options for when its 25-year contract with Suez ends in 2025.

Changing from a fortnightly collection could cut costs and carbon emissions - and could encourage residents to recycle even more.

According to cabinet papers, 15% of councils are considering the change.

SGC stressed the current plan was to stick with a two-weekly collection at a scrutiny commission on 5 October.

Councillor Rachael Hunt, cabinet member for communities and local place said a collection every four weeks was "not the intention at the moment".

"As we progress towards that idea of zero waste to landfill and a circular economy ... it's really important that we keep that option in, but it is not where we are progressing at the moment," she added.

Keirsten Wilson, project manager at the council, said: "At the moment the intention is to stay with the current regime and timescale of black bin collections.

"The rationale for leaving it on the table for consideration in the future, and that could be quite far in the future, is the direction of travel of central government and the targets that are being set.

"But we're not suggesting at this time to change from the current two-weekly residual collections."

No formal plans have been agreed yet and the council will consult the public before any changes are made

South Gloucestershire is currently recycling 60% of its waste, with plans to reach 70% by the end of the decade.

Ms Hunt said "it is fantastic to see how residents have embraced changes to collections for the good of the environment".

Details of how bin collections could look after 2025 were revealed in SGC cabinet papers, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The switch from a two-week to a four-week black-bin collection could save the council £800,000 a year.

It is understood the change would not affect recycling or food waste collections, but would cut down on fuel costs and carbon emissions for bin lorries.

No formal plans have been agreed yet and the council would consult the public before any changes are made

Rather than going to landfill, almost 80% of black-bin rubbish in South Gloucestershire gets sent to an incinerator where it is burned to create energy.

The local authority area will soon be included in a new national trial to collect plastic bags and wrapping from households, as part of normal weekly recycling collections.

The trial starts from 17 October, with selected households in parts of Bradley Stoke, Chipping Sodbury and Olveston taking part.