• Collections in the South Derbyshire are may now only happen every four weeks

• Move is aimed at increasing recycling by the public

• Council's exploration of options would cost around £20,000

• It is thought that by providing less space for general waste, residents will be forced to recycle

By Eddie Bisknell

Swadlincote bin collections could be switched to every four weeks – and see the see the size of bins halved.

South Derbyshire District Council suggested the potential change – which would see residents waiting twice as long for general waste collections – in a bid to boost recycling rates.

General waste is currently collected every two weeks in black bins. Recycling bins are collected the following week.

But officers are investigating whether the authority should move to four-weekly black bin collections and/or halve the size of its black bins.

It says that the dual moves, including halving the bin size from 240 litres to 120 litres, could see recycling surge from 46 per cent to 70 per cent.

No information has been given about whether recycling collection frequencies would stay the same.

The council's current waste and recycling contracts expire in October 2021. The council is considering a short extension and to accept a "lack of step change" to ensure that all solutions can be fully explored, before it commits to longer-term contractual or other arrangements.

The exploration of options, which include moving from fortnightly to four-weekly bin collections, is expected to cost around £20,000 – which is set to be approved later this month.

It says that neighbouring authority Derbyshire Dales District Council has the county's highest overall percentage of waste recycled or composted – 60 per cent.

The authority says this was achieved following the introduction of 120 litre bins for residual waste (black bin) and weekly food waste collections.

In its recently-approved new waste contract, the Dales opted not to introduce a four-weekly or three-weekly collection for general waste, sticking with fortnightly.

Instead, it is bringing in an opt-in garden waste collection – which will cost £50 a year for those who want it, with a £35 per year early bird offer for the first year.

It is thought that by providing less space for general waste, residents will be forced to recycle more waste – which should not be going in the black bin in the first place.

South Derbyshire District Council officers wrote: "There are no short-term fixes to significantly improve recycling performance by more than one or two percentage points.

"There is a certain amount of uncertainty for future service provision due to the ongoing developments in Government legislation and its timing in relation to the council's recycling and composting contracts.

"There are a number of potential risks around committing to a service model at the present time; however, there are also significant potential opportunities.

"It is important that in moving towards achieving the likely recycling targets that all options are explored including service delivery options and service provision models.

"The range of options for both service delivery and provision is extremely varied and, in some cases, extremely complex."