Black bins could be picked up once every three weeks under proposals put forward by Daventry District Council

Daventry district could see a major shake-up in how often its bins get collected under proposals being drawn up by Daventry District Council.

The council has drawn up a preferred option of emptying black bins of non-recyclable waste once every three weeks, while getting rid of the separate recycling boxes for paper and glass and replacing them with a mixed recycling collection with wheelie bins every fortnight.

Households could also choose to have a garden waste service at an extra charge of around £35 a year – alternatively they could compost it themselves, take it to the tip, or put small quantities in their regular black wheelie bin.

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Councillors will meet next week to consider plans to consult residents over the options. Households would then get a say before any final proposals are drawn up.

In 2011 Daventry District Council (DDC) entered into a seven-year environmental services contract with Enterprise (now part of the Amey Group). The contract will end on 3 June 2018 and DDC is exploring possibilities for the service after that date.

Initial feedback and ideas have also been gathered from residents during a waste focus workshop, as well as early input from councillors and council officers.

Some 32 different combinations of collection types and frequencies have been looked at by the council, and judged on how affordable they are, how easy they are for residents and whether they will encourage or discourage more recycling to be done.

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Members of DDC’s strategy group will be presented with a shortlist of future options on Thursday next week (11 February), with a recommendation to consult the public on a preferred option.

The option being recommended for consultation includes proposals for a three-weekly black bin (residual) collection and replacing the current weekly collection of separate recycling boxes with a fortnightly collection of a single wheelie bin used for recycling plastic, paper, aluminium cans and glass . Food waste would continue to be collected weekly.

Other issues to be explored with residents would include a separate nappy collection service.

Councillor Jo Gilford, Daventry District Council’s environment portfolio holder said: “We are facing significant funding pressures ahead of us and it’s important we start acting now to explore the future of our waste and recycling service.

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“Once the current contract ends in 2018, we know that the future cost of the service will be considerably higher, regardless of service design or supplier. This is partly due to the considerable drop in prices received for recycling materials which is unlikely to change in the future.

“Maintaining the status quo is not a sensible option as the cost of the service would effectively double and be too expensive to run. So we have to look at future options that are affordable and will deliver a good quality service for our residents. Their views will be important as we shape the future of the service in the years ahead.”

DDC’s strategy group meets on Thursday, 11 February at 6.15pm.

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