Bristol councillors to vote on three-weekly black bin collections

Residents could have their black bins collected once every three weeks under new plans.

The proposal, which would replace current fortnightly collections, will be considered by Bristol City Council’s Environment Policy Committee later.

Supporters said the change would encourage more recycling and help reduce rising waste disposal costs.

But the proposal remains controversial. More than 16,000 people responded to a consultation, with 63% opposing a move to three-weekly collections and 71% saying black-bin collection frequency should remain unchanged.

The plan has been under discussion since earlier this year and forms part of a wider push by councils to increase recycling rates and cut landfill.

So how does Bristol compare to other local authorities?

If approved, Bristol would join other councils moving to less frequent bin collections.

North Somerset Council, which moved to three-weekly black-bin collections in June, has reported a 15% reduction in black-bin waste and a 10% rise in recycling.

Councillor Annemieke Waite, cabinet member for planning and environment said they were “pleased” with how residents had “adapted to the new collection schedule” and the “improvements in recycling rates” were “fantastic”.

Meanwhile, South Gloucestershire Council is due to introduce a similar system from May.

Wiltshire Council recently approved plans to introduce three-weekly collections for residual waste from Spring 2027, a move which has been criticised by the Conservative opposition who said the changes would “be hugely detrimental” and would “cost more money”.

The changes in Wiltshire also include the introduction of two new services – kerbside collection of flexible plastics and weekly collections of food waste.

By contrast, Bath and North East Somerset Council and Gloucestershire County Council said they had no current plans to change the frequency of black bin collections.

The Bristol committee’s chair, Green councillor Martin Fodor, said councillors had considered feedback from residents and were also being asked to look at proposals for extra fly-tipping collections and a new community fund to support neighbourhood recycling schemes.

He said rising service costs, income from recyclable materials and new government rules requiring councils to recycle more and reduce landfill were key factors behind the proposal.

If approved, the changes would include replacing some recycling boxes with coloured sacks, larger blue sacks for paper and magazines, and a new collection service for nappies and incontinence pads.

The council estimates moving to three-weekly collections could cut black-bag waste by around 14,700 tonnes a year, increase recycling rates by 10%, and save about £500,000 annually.

It is not yet clear when the new system would be rolled out if councillors approve it.