Litter bins set to be emptied less in Wiltshire to save money

Wiltshire Council want to scale back litter bin collections

Litter bins are set to be emptied less frequently under plans to save money.

The proposed cut-back is part of Wiltshire Council's new budget, which will see a reduction of some services, including grass cutting.

The council said reducing collections would make services more efficient by not emptying a bin if it is only a quarter full.

As inflation pushes up costs, the authority says it is facing a shortfall of £33m.

It is proposing a 2.99% rise in council tax from April to help pay for local services.

'Concerns'

The proposed cutbacks are causing concerns, according to Tthe Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Liberal Democrat councillor Gavin Grant said: "A lot of residents are going to wonder why they're paying extra and getting less."

Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer said "difficult decisions" had to be made.

"We are making changes to make our services as efficient as possible, for example at the moment we empty all our bins on the same schedule, instead we will now identify how frequently those bins actually become full and only empty them when we know they need emptying, we are also investing in new technologies so we can make better use of data.

"We will also be embedding our revised grass cutting programme, which sees suitable areas only cut twice a year - once in March and once in September to boost biodiversity, particularly for wildflowers and insects," he said.