Slough Borough Council’s Scrutiny Committee is set to discuss a proposal to move to alternate weekly collections of rubbish and recycling bins at their meeting on 8 September.
The proposal will initially be discussed at Scrutiny before being taken to Cabinet on 19 September for a decision.
Slough is one of only a handful of local authorities which still collects both rubbish and recycling weekly with most councils having moved to alternate weekly or even three-weekly collections in the past decade.
If approved, the move is expected to save the council around £423,000 in 2023/24 and around £705,000 per year thereafter. As seen in other areas, it will encourage more people to recycle, boosting the town’s recycling rate from the rather poor 28 percent it is currently.
The move would not include blocks of flats with communal bins where collections would remain weekly. However, flats and other properties with individual bins would move to alternate weekly with grey bins (refuse) being collected one week and red bins (recycling) being collected the following week.
Any approved scheme would not be implemented until June 2023 to give time for preparations by both the council and residents.
Councillor Mohammed Nazir, lead member for transport and the local environment, said: “Since 2019 we have been discussing the possibility of a move to alternate weekly collections in a bid to increase our recycling rates and cut down on our waste costs.
“During the pandemic with everyone at home we did not believe it was an appropriate time, but now we are bringing forward a proposal which we believe will not only save money but also encourage people to do more to reduce their waste and up their recycling which has wide-ranging benefits for the local and worldwide environment.”
The proposals include options for larger households and those with babies in nappies who may struggle not to fill their current grey bin too quickly.
Councillor Nazir added: “We do not want our discussions to concern or anger people unnecessarily. It is a proposal at this stage and if approved by Cabinet, it will not be implemented until June 2023 to give residents and us time to prepare and make sure the new system is workable and understood.
“However, as I will be explaining to Scrutiny, we can no longer just stand by, creating mountains of rubbish, unable or unwilling to play our part in the incredibly important movement to improve the world’s environment and combat climate change.”
The full report to Scrutiny and a link to watch the meeting live on 8 September can be found at the Place Scrutiny Panel webpage.