Three-weekly black bin collections will be introduced across Cheshire East from April 2026 with one councillor saying, “the fact is we can’t afford to not do this”.
The Environment and Communities Committee has voted by seven to six to change to a three-weekly collection – with the Conservatives and one Independent, Coun Hannah Moss (Mobberley), voting against, (writes local democracy reporter Belinda Ryan).
The cash-strapped council said that collecting household waste bins every three weeks instead of fortnightly was the only way it can fund its legal requirement to introduce weekly food waste pick-ups by April 2026.
Cheshire East needs to reduce spending by £100 million over the next four years and the bin collection change will save an estimated £1 million.
The previous Government issued guidance in May saying: “A minimum backstop means councils will be expected to collect black bin waste at least fortnightly, alongside weekly food waste collections.
“This will stop the trend – seen outside England – towards three-weekly or four-weekly bin collections. Councils are also being actively encouraged to make collections even more frequent, to prevent smelly waste from building up outside homes.”
During the Cheshire East lengthy debate, concerns were raised about the impact on the elderly, people with medical needs, fly-tipping and the possible contamination of the grey recycling bins because of overflowing black bins.
There were also fears the council might be acting too hastily following the previous Government’s consultation that included the draft guidance above.
Coun Janet Clowes (Wybunbury) said: “My biggest concern is I’m not sure this is a risk we should be taking at this early stage of the current Government.
“I would resent having to go through all that pain if, in the next 12 months, Defra (department for environment, food and rural affairs) comes back and say we’ve looked at that piece of imminent legislation and actually we’re going to put a limit of two weeks on residual waste collection.”
Bunbury Coun Becky Posnett said: “I have enormous concerns over the paper that was presented [to the committee] because of the lack of detail.”
She added: “I’m going to keep it simple, on the fact that 84% of residents do not want this.
“I was voted for by residents, I represent residents and therefore I cannot support it.”
Coun Mary Brooks (Macclesfield) said it was not 84% of residents who opposed the change, it was 84% of people who responded to the consultation.
“I’m reassured that lots of local authorities have already done this – Bury, Wigan, Rochdale, Salford – and the sky hasn’t fallen in – it’s operated quite happily there,” said Coun Brooks.
“The fact is, we can’t afford to not do this because what is certain is that we have to do this food waste collection from 2026, and I think there’s a lot of detail in the report that demonstrates we cannot afford to keep both a two-weekly collection and do a weekly food waste collection.”
She added: “I think it’s very unlikely the present Government will turn round to those councils that are already doing three-weekly collections and tell them, ‘no you’ve got to go two-weekly’, because where’s the money going to come from for that?
“We haven’t really got a choice not to do this and I just wondered where the savings could be made otherwise if we didn’t.”
Coun Moss said if Cheshire East did vote to implement three-weekly collections it would not actually be operational until 2026, so if the Government decided to make two-weekly black bin collections mandatory “it would be easier for the Government to say, we will leave the councils who have it in place currently, not the ones who plan to have it in place, so we are running the risk”.
