Weekly bin collections in city could be scrapped

Weekly bin collections in Leicester could be brought to an end, city council documents suggest.

A consultation over the future of the service revealed "at least half" of city residents put their black general waste bins out to be emptied each week despite them being less than 75% full.

Less waste will go into these bins when separate collections for food waste begin next year, according to Leicester City Council.

Maintaining a weekly pick up for general waste would be "inefficient" at that point, the authority added.

The council believes reducing the frequency of these collections would reduce the amount going into black bins and in turn increase recycling.

It would also save the authority cash when it comes to handling household rubbish, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Recycling services could also see changes, documents suggest, with the authority considering swapping Leicester's orange bag recycling system for a recycling bin.

The council said this will make storing the rubbish easier for those with "indoor space issues" without risk of it being "affected by the weather or animals".

If orange bags are retained, the process for requesting and delivering these should also be reviewed and potentially simplified, the report added.

The LDRS said concerns were raised by residents over the proposed new food waste collections, which would likely see households given a new kitchen caddy and a main outside bin.

Some 68% of people said they were most worried about bad odours when it came to the new requirements and 60% feared it would attract animals.

Most people said they would prefer to use caddy liners in the new bins, as opposed to putting the waste straight into the bin.

The council said it would consider providing liners itself.

Deputy city mayor Elly Cutkelvin previously said: "With changes to national legislation, we need to consider how we keep bin collections and recycling services simple to use, reliable and cost effective while ensuring that we all do our bit to recycle more and protect the environment."

Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.