Cheshire West & Chester Council listens to residents & maintains fortnightly waste collection

Cheshire West & Chester Council consulted on two deliverable options to transform its waste & recycling service, seeking to maintain excellent service, increase recycling, tackle long standing issues with recycling container lids and protect workforce jobs.

Two options were consulted on, option A being a fortnightly collection service, and option B being a three weekly collection service.

Councillor Karen Shore, Labour’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways & Strategic Transport said: “Almost 15,000 residents took part in the consultation and expressed a clear preference for retaining a fortnightly waste collection service. I’ll be asking Councillors to back plans which residents have supported, which will see food waste collected weekly, and other waste collected fortnightly, with the only change for residents being fortnightly recycling collection.”

Changing the waste management & recycling approach in Cheshire West has a number of positive benefits beyond increasing recycling. Labour recognises the threat to communities from climate change and has already declared a Climate Emergency. By working together and delivering a lower carbon waste collection service, we are fixing tomorrow’s problems today and delivering a healthier borough.

Councils also have a duty to deliver value for money for residents, and must deliver services against a backdrop of increasing demand and reduced Government funding, with Cheshire West & Chester Council spending over half its budget on social care. For these reasons, the Council has also consulted on its garden waste collection service, and is seeking to charge £40 per year per bin for a 40 week collection service - that’s just £1 per week. The intention is that these changes combined will promote recycling and home composting, a reduction in waste and greater reuse.

Councillor Karen Shore adds: “The Council is the last in the subregion to charge for green waste collection, and has tried everything to maintain a free service. The proposed charges are necessary to safeguard other services, we’re spending over 50p in every £1 on social care and have to put services for the most vulnerable first. The £40 per bin charge for garden waste makes the service sustainable for residents who have gardens, costing just £2 per collection. Of the 360 local authorities with green waste services in the UK, 60% charge for green waste, and 51% charge more than £40. The revenue the charge generates can be used to preserve the fortnightly waste collection service.”

It’s easy to point to decisions like this, and make hollow demands that things stay as they are. The reality is that the current service is unsustainable without cutting other services - the Council will be facing a funding gap of over £6m by 2026. Despite planning ahead for housing growth, the current waste collection service has come under pressure due to volatile recycled material values and increased household recycling output.

Councillor Karen Shore concludes: “The waste & recycling proposals will deliver an environmentally and financially sustainable service which reflects the priorities of residents and protects other Council services. I’m grateful to all the residents who took part in the consultation and helped shape the new strategy.”

• Housing growth
  • Since the last review of the collection service in 2012 there has been an increase of approximately 13,000 households in Cheshire West & Chester
• Waste destinations

• Recycling rate