Cash-strapped Salford City Council will trial three-weekly bin collections in large parts of West Salford before rolling them out city-wide, it has been revealed today.
From July 2016 to February 2017 the council are proposing to trial refuse collection just once every three weeks in Worsley, Boothstown, Ellenbrook, Irlam, Cadishead, Little Hulton, Pendlebury, Swinton and Walkden.
If it’s considered a success, the eight-month trial will be followed by rolling out the system to parts of Kersal, Winton, Eccles, Ellesmere Park, Weaste and Seedley, Claremont and Langworthy, with city-wide three-weekly collections brought in by August 2017.
Cuts-hit councils in nearby Rochdale and Bury have alreadly implemented three-weekly bin collections, along with recent switchovers in East Devon and Powys in Wales.
According to Bury, a reduced collection would boost recycling rates to 60% and save around £800,000 a year.
In a statement Salford City Council’s executive lead member for environment and housing Cllr Gena Merrett, said: “Salford’s waste disposal costs will increase significantly over the next three years if the city can’t increase recycling and reduce the costs of waste sent to landfill.
“This is at a time when it is important to reduce spending with pressures on council budgets to make £38 million of savings over the next two years.
“Disposing of waste into landfill is expensive and harms the environment.
“Other neighbouring authorities have higher rates of recycling and our data shows that over a third of the contents of general waste bins could be recycled, so there is potential for increasing recycling with the support of residents.
“We have investigated a number of options for Cabinet to consider next week and the recommendation is to introduce a pilot to test three weekly collections for residual non-recyclable waste in nine wards.
“This is yet to be agreed, but if it is decided to make the change it will be introduced carefully following the pilot. We will be consulting in full on progress of this.”
