New waste collection spending approved by Cornwall Council

The new collections would see food waste collected separately

Plans to increase spending by a possible £35m on a new waste collection system have been approved by Cornwall Council.

The authority said the new infrastructure would improve the county's recycling rates from 2023.

The cabinet voted in favour of increasing capital spending from its current amount of £62m. It will go to full council for a final decision.

The need for the increase was put down to rising costs nationally.

The original budget of £62m was agreed in 2019 and no official figures for the planned increase have been given in public council documents.

But the council leader Linda Taylor told BBC Radio Cornwall earlier in June: "There will have to be an increase, I think it's up to about £35m that is going to have to be discussed to implement this policy."

The plans would see black bag waste and recyclables collected fortnightly and food waste collected weekly.

They also include alterations to the four existing household waste recycling centres at Bodmin, Connon Bridge, Launceston and St Erth, and a new facility built at Hallenbeagle.

'Unprecedented cost increases'

A council spokesperson said: "The introduction of these changes will improve recycling rates through the separate weekly collection of food waste, encourage more recycling and reduce the amount of rubbish collected."

The council said it was dealing with "unprecedented cost increases" due to "the effect of inflation and the rapidly increasing costs of material and labour facing the whole construction industry, as well as issues such as rising fuel costs".

At the extraordinary meeting, councillors also approved plans to sell Cornwall Care, the county's largest care provider, to housing provider Sanctuary.

The authority said the aim of the move was to avoid the closure of residential care homes.