Cheshire East Council plans to move to three-weekly residual waste collections in a bid to cut costs by £1m, despite local opposition.
The council said it was forced to make the change because of the new requirement for local authorities to collect food waste weekly by 1 April 2026.
Its move to three-weekly residual waste collections would coincide with this.
Environment and communities committee chair Mick Warren said the new regulations meant ‘significant and costly operational changes’ leaving the council with ‘no choice’ but to reduce black bin collections from every two to every three weeks.
After a consultation found 84% of residents were opposed to the plans, Cheshire East pledged to address concerns by recruiting more education and enforcement officers and issuing penalties to people who incorrectly disposed of waste, including by leaving their bins out for several days before or after their collection day.
The change comes despite plans made under the previous government for all councils to be required to collect residual waste at least fortnightly by April 2026, although The MJ has reported that Labour is considering scrapping this rule.
Cheshire East said its plans to collect waste less often could save £1m per year as it looks to reduce spending by £100m over the next four years.
