Recycling bins and food waste collections would still be weekly under the proposed change.
The proposal was made in a now-closed consultation launched in January 2025 which was met with strong reactions from the public.
A public petition opposing the proposal – started by local Labour leader Tom Renhard – received over 12,300 signatures.
The BBC has reported that support within the council to adopt the four-week proposal has waned and it therefore seems highly unlikely that the plan will go ahead.
Bristol would have been the first city in England to go to four-weekly residual waste collections, however several already opt for three-weekly collections.
In 2006/7 the city swapped from weekly to fortnightly collections which resulted in a 14% recycling rate increase.
The council estimated that a change to four-weekly black bin collections could result in a 10% recycling rate increase and a 60% reduction in carbon emissions. It is also estimated to result in around £2.3 million in savings and an additional £1.5 million in avoided carbon tax costs.
Both the consultation and petition will be debated at the full council meeting tonight at Bristol City Hall.
Councillor Martin Fodor, chair of the environment committee for Bristol city council, said: “The four-weekly option was put in the consultation as an outlier for modelling purposes and I made clear it was always unlikely to go ahead.
“Based on what we’ve heard and the strength of feeling that this has generated across the city, the Greens will not be supporting any proposals put forward to move to four-weekly collections at this time.”
Councillor Tom Renhard, Labour leader on the council, added: “It has been clear from the start that this policy is totally unworkable.
“The Greens dropping it will be a relief to all, particularly those with larger families or newborns, who need fortnightly black bin collections.
“Waste and recycling collection is the one service that every council taxpayer uses and relies upon; it needs to be protected from their cuts.”
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