Residents moved to fortnightly bin collections

Weekly bin collections in an area of Leicestershire have been scrapped.

On Monday, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council moved to alternate weekly waste collections with general waste taken one week and recycling the following.

Residents are able to swap their 140 litre black bin for a 240 litre bin at a cost of £38, but have been encouraged to "try out the new system first".

In December the council warned it would need to increase charges and cut services to avoid effective bankruptcy.

The council said it had fought to maintain weekly collections of both general waste and recycling for many years, but it now had to change to the alternating system, which was "commonplace across the rest of Leicestershire and much of the UK", the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

In a report, the authority said it had been operating on a "financially unsustainable basis" and "urgent action" was needed to save it.

It said if savings were not made, it would run out of cash in the 2025-26 financial year.

The council said all households should have received a waste calendar informing residents which bin would be collected each week.

People can also check collection dates online by entering their postcode.

However, residents living in a flat or sheltered accommodation with communal bins have not been affected by the changes.

Also for those who are subscribed, garden waste collections remain unchanged, the council said.

It added residents could leave "additional, neatly folded cardboard left by your recycling bin" on the recycling collection week, but no other additional waste would be taken.

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