Three-weekly bin collections agreed

A three-weekly bin collection rota has been agreed by East Herts Council following a meeting of the council's Executive Team on Thursday.

The decision comes againts a backdrop of increased financial pressures on the council due to inflation and reductions in government funding for local authorities.

The new system will see the introduction of a weekly food waste collection, with three-weekly collections for paper and cardboard, mixed dry recycling and residual waste:

Week 1	Food, paper and cardboard
Week 2	Food and mixed dry recycling
Week 3	Food and residual waste

The collection rota was first proposed in September 2022 by the previous Conservative administration.

However, the plans could be thrown in to disarray if the government introduces a minimun standard of fortnightly bin collections.

Other measures set to be introduced include a reduction in the number of litter bins across the district and reducing the number of items collected as part of a bulky waste collection from six to three.

Councillor Tim Hoskin, Executive member for Environmental Sustainability, said: "Across East and North Herts, waste is collected from approximately 124,000 households and over 1,920 commercial customers. The design of this new contract follows an extensive public consultation which took place in the form of an online survey in July and August 2022. Both councils shared the details of the consultation via social media channels, via councillors and by notifying local parishes. We believe these changes will ensure we get the balance right between achieving value for money for our residents while supporting our environmental aims."

Carl Brittain, Executive Member for Financial Sustainability said: "Waste services are currently going through a competitive procurement process. On-going inflation means that the new contract will cost more than the existing one, operated by Urbaser since 2018.  This has major implications for the council’s finances. These changes will help ensure we are not obliged to make cuts to other vital services."

A page answering frequently asked questions about the new refuse collection schedule is available on the council's website.

The changes will be introduced in May 2025 following a reviews of the waste recycling and street cleansing contract.