Cheltenham Borough Council has reinstated weekly residual waste collections in certain areas of the town after residents complained about rubbish piling up in their gardens.

In 2011, Cheltenham council was one of many across the UK to reduce residual waste collections to fortnightly, while carrying out separate weekly recycling pick-ups.

In the 18 months following the change, the borough’s recycling rate increased by a third, according to the council, from under 35 per cent of household waste to 46 per cent, an improvement Cabinet Member for Sustainability Cllr Roger Whyborn said was “undoubtedly” due to reduced collections causing a “major step change” in recycling habits.

However, following complaints from residents that the collections were leading to waste ‘piling up’ in front gardens, a new strategy will be carried out in the St Paul’s area of Cheltenham in the coming weeks.

Residents will get weekly non-recyclable household waste collected in a bid to reduce the overspill of waste, following the completion of a successful trial.

Strategic Client Officer at the council, Scott Williams, said increased collection rates are “the only solution to resolve waste being continually left on the streets”.

He added: “Weekly collections are provided for a select number of properties in the town centre which also have similar issues, so this tailoring of frequency has not just been implemented for this small area of St Paul’s.

“There are no plans to roll out weekly bin collections in other parts of Cheltenham.”

The move, which affects an area with a high concentration of students, has caused anger amongst some other residents, according to local paper the Gloucestershire Echo, with some suggesting that the affected houses “do not how to recycle waste” or that the council’s fortnightly recycling collection is not frequent enough, and others complaining that students are getting “extra services”.

Reduced collections encourage recycling

Earlier this month, waste management company SUEZ released a report that reduced frequency of waste collections was one solution that could help England increase its stagnant household recycling rate.

The report, ‘At this rate…Exploring England’s recycling challenges’, examined how England can give its slow-moving recycling rates a boost in time to meet the European Union target of 50 per cent recycling by 2020 and said that reduction of residual waste collections could ‘increase participation and capture’.

Indeed, several local authorities across the UK have trialled three-weekly residual waste collections, and this week, Fife began a trial monthly bin collection.

However, Banbridge District Council, Northern Ireland, the only other UK local authority to trial a monthly collection scheme, ended the scheme despite reported reductions of 35 per cent in the amount of residual waste generated and an increased recycling rate.

The trial was ended amid reports of overflowing bins, rodents and nappies and medical waste not being collected, and the council agreed that there were ‘fundamental flaws’ in the system.

Proponents of decreased residual waste collections usually maintain that they must be coupled with more frequent recycling collections – ideally weekly – to be most effective. Banbridge council, however, is collecting recycling on a fortnightly basis while Falkirk’s trial will see some recycling containers emptied as infrequently as once every four weeks.

DCLG plan for weekly collections axed

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was a strong supporter of weekly waste collections when Sir Eric Pickles was Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

The department’s campaign to promote weekly waste collections included a £250-million fund, the Weekly Collection Support Scheme .which encouraged local authorities to return to weekly collections.

None of the 86 councils he invested in has reverted to weekly collections, and only 18 have used the funding to introduce, support or expand a weekly collection of food or organic waste. With Pickles now removed from the role, however, it was announced earlier this month, however, that the campaign is likely to be axed due to expected spending cuts in the autumn review.

Read about the government and EU targets for household residual waste.