Three-weekly bin collections show 'real progress'

A council that started to collect general waste every three weeks has said it has seen "real progress" in its efforts to increase recycling.

West Berkshire Council rolled out the change from fortnightly black bin collections in September, but hundreds of residents were said to have been unhappy.

It acknowledged the change had been "challenging" for some, but said general waste collected over October and November was down by 18% on 2024.

Stuart Gourley, the council's member for environment and highways, said the authority was "extremely thankful for the positive way residents have embraced this change".

"Every item kept out of the black bin, every correctly recycled material, and every food scrap placed in a caddy helps drive meaningful progress," he said.

The authority said it was now on track to make a £150,000 saving through reduced waste and increased recycling, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Together, we're reducing our carbon footprint and protecting public funds, it's a win for both the environment and our community," Gourley added.

The council said its food waste recycling had increased by 25% and 17% more plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays and cans had been collected.

Gourley previously said that the council could face a £1.4m bill from the government in three years if it continued to collect the same volume of black bin waste.