Bin collections in South Derbyshire could be carried out once every three weeks in a bid to save money and improve recycling.

The move would be a compromise after a suggested switch to monthly collections proved unpopular.

South Derbyshire District Council looks to have ruled out moving black bin (general waste) collections to once every month – from the current fortnightly pick-ups.

This is despite the monthly pick-ups plan appearing to bring the largest savings and improve the rate of recycling the most, as shown in detailed investigations by the council and private firm Eunomia.

A potential move to monthly pick-ups had sparked an outcry from residents when the option was revealed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service in January.

The council's preferred option to improve recycling and cut costs is to now move to three-weekly pick-ups for black bins and green bins (dry recycling – glass, cardboard, cans, plastic and paper).

Residents would be given an extra 240 litre dry recycling bin (the same as the current one). One would be used for paper and cardboard and the other for cans, plastic and glass.

Weekly separate food waste collections would be brought in, with homeowners being given a new "caddy".

Garden waste would continue to be collected once a fortnight in the remaining brown bin.

If approved following future debates and public consultation, the changes could come into force from October next year, when the council's current contracts run out.

The authority's aim is to reach 60 per cent of waste being recycled by 2024.

An option investigated by the council and Eunomia, which includes a move to monthly black bin collections, is the only one which sees the authority on track to hit its target.

However, the organisations, and a select group of councillors, feel the potential upset and disruption to residents should be avoided and the perceived less disruptive but also less effective three-weekly plan should be progressed.

Adrian Lowery, the council's director of service delivery, said in a meeting last night (November 12) that the authority's preferred option was not the "most likely to mirror the government's ambition within its resources and waste strategy".

The option which scores highest in that area is a plan to move to a smaller black bin, a box for plastics and cans, a separate box for glass and a bag for paper and card – all collected once every three weeks – along with weekly food waste and fortnightly garden waste.

However, he said the preferred option is the "easiest for us to deliver and there is a marginal difference in performance between the two, it also would mean less impact on residents in the district in order to deliver it"

He said: "This is our preferred option to increase recycling and to achieve waste minimisation targets."

The council's preferred plan would reduce the amount of general waste being collected by 132kg per household per year; see 35kg more dry recycling collected per household per year; and 51kg more food waste per household per year.

It would save £156,000 per year in overall costs to the council, largely due to not having to sort food waste from garden waste.

This is despite an extra £30,000 being needed for vehicle changes, £171,000 for more staff (eight more for food waste pick-ups), £123,000 for extra bins and £5,000 for changes to the council's depot.

A move to monthly black bin collections and the current green bin set-up continuing would see 178kg less general waste collected per household per year; 31kg more dry recycling collected per household per year; and 63kg more food waste per household per year.

These moves would also see overall annual cost savings of £313,000 – more than double the council's preferred option.

The authority would see a significantly lower cost for new vehicles at £9,000; less extra for more staff at £133,000; £26,000 for new containers (a quarter of preferred choice); but more for depot works at £20,000.

Of the monthly collections plan, Eunomia said: "Residents may view this as a vast change in service. However, it is unlikely that this would be an immediate change, and residents will eventually get used to this service."

The council is to seek clarification from government on what its future legislation would mean for local authorities so that it can plan ahead and choose the option which best fits national aims.

Mr Lowery said changes in the Environment Bill could come in 2023 or 2024 with aims from government to provide resources to local authorities to change waste collections in order to meet recycling targets.

This will include government plans to have all local councils carrying out a separate food waste collection service.

The council may look to run bin collection services itself for a short period until the government announces its changes, instead of committing to another contract with a private company – maintaining the current set-up temporarily.

It says: "The current ongoing problem with delayed collections, due to the pandemic, is a prime example of where external contractors are reluctant to invest additional resources to overcome, hopefully, short-term issues, particularly where contracts are coming towards the end of the contract period.

"Services delivered in-house are far more likely to be able to resolve these types of issue quickly."