The plans are controversial
Bristol could become the first council in England to move black bin collections to once every four weeks.
The council said it’s estimated that around 40 per cent of black bin waste should be recycled and it is costing the local authority money and creating carbon.
It has launched a consultation on its plans to switch from a two-weekly collection to every four weeks – a move it says could save around £4 million a year.
A rise in inflation rates and operational costs have prompted the plans.
Bristol City council says the average resident throws away £700 of food per year, and 26 per cent of the average black bin is recyclable food waste.
Asked why it has decided to focus on bin collections when residents are facing a rise in council tax, Heather Mack, deputy leader of Bristol City Council, told ITV News: “We are looking at everything. Soon there will be a tax system so that the carbon that’s produced from processing waste will cost us more money.”
At present, there is a £42 million gap in the council’s budget, which they say has been caused by a rise in inflation rates and new tax regulations, forcing the local authority to make significant changes.
Mack added that the council would “struggle” to make the necessary savings without making the proposed changes to bin collections but said that’s why they wanted to hear from people first about their proposal,
Bristol already has the highest recycling rate among the ‘core cities’ in England, with 45 per cent of household waste recycled.
But councillor Martin Fodor, chairman of the environment and sustainability committee, said the recycling rate is ‘dropping’.
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He said: “It’s falling at a time when we should be recycling more, not less.
“This drop in the rate also coincides with big changes in how people shop, with more online and distance shopping becoming the norm which brings with it greater volumes of packaging and an increase in the amount of material that could potentially be recycled.”
The council believes that if the plans go ahead, they would be the first council in England to reduce collections to every four weeks.
However, the plans are controversial. Many in the city feel they not only recycle as much as they can, but they are paying for the service of bin collections.
There are also concerns from some residents and political opponents that the proposal could lead to more fly-tipping in the city, and more than 2,000 people have signed a Labour-run petition against the idea.
