More Burnley homes set to get wheelie bin recycling collections

In October 2019 Burnley Council improved its recycling collection by introducing a wheelie bin recycling collection service for just over half the households in the borough.

The council’s Executive Committee is recommended to agree the next move when it meets on September 22nd. It is also set to approve the introduction of a paid-for larger recycling wheelie bin for households that want more storage capacity.

The proposed changes will not affect the current arrangements for non-recyclable and garden waste collections.

Coun. Bea Foster, executive member for community and environmental services, said: “Houses that are on the recycling wheelie bin system have, in general, found it a lot easier to use and it’s been a success in encouraging more people to recycle more.

“The council promised it would review the system and we’ve done that. It’s clear that a number of extra homes can be put onto wheelie bins straight away, whilst we need to have a closer look to see if others are suitable and whether there’s a demand from residents.

“I’d like to thank local people, whichever system they are on, for their continued support in recycling as much of their rubbish as possible and doing their bit to help protect our environment.”

Around 22,000 out of the borough’s 42,000 homes have a four-weekly wheelie bin recycling collection, with a blue bin for plastics, cans and glass, and a grey bin for paper and cardboard. The remainder of local homes stayed with a box and bag system collected every two weeks.

The wheelie bins system was initially rolled out to areas where the majority of homes had space for the two extra bins, plus one for non-recyclable rubbish. Each collection round covers thousands of houses and many streets and the aim was to find the system that best suited the majority of households.

The proposed changes follow a review of the system, which has proved to be a success. A report to the executive says that while it is difficult to fully assess the impact, due to Covid, recycling collections between October 2020 and March 2021 were 36% higher compared to the same period 12 months before.

The 617 homes that would move onto wheelie bins immediately are similar to properties already on the system and any changeover should be easy to complete. Bins are expected to be delivered in the autumn.

A further 800 homes would be considered for wheelie bins, but because they don’t fully meet the original criteria householders would be consulted and a study of their recycling needs would be carried out before any final decision is made later this year.

One thing that has become apparent since the new system was introduced is that while the majority of homes are happy with the standard 240 litre capacity bin, some people find they fill too quickly. The executive is being asked to agree to the introduction of a larger 360 litre recycling bin that would be offered to residents at a cost of £31.30.