The creation of the group was recommended by the council’s Cabinet on Tuesday (20 May 2025) after agreeing to reform its collection services to align with the government’s national waste strategy.
The group’s remit will be to engage and consult with residents on the changes and respond to questions and concerns about how they will be implemented.
Councillor Paul Hart, cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, said: “Since the proposals were made public questions have been quite rightly raised around how the new system will affect people, particularly those who live in flats and other kinds of housing that may not have space for new bins.
“While we have no choice but to introduce weekly food waste collections due it being a legal requirement, we recognise that we need to do it in a way that reflects the needs of our residents and the realities of our district.
“Likewise, there are many issues around the introduction of wheelie bins for recycling and changes to the collection frequency that people have concerns about.
“That’s why this group is so important. It will ensure that all voices are heard as we shape the detail of how these changes are introduced.”
In keeping with Simpler Recycling, all councils in England must introduce food waste collections by 31 March 2026.
The council has now agreed to provide households with new 240-litre wheelie bin to replace recycling boxes for those with space, along with a move to three weekly collections.
The council hopes the changes will reduce the amount of waste produced by households, increase recycling rates and ensure it is well-positioned to access current and future government funding.
Lancaster currently has a recycling rate of 36.62% and produces 216.1kg of residual waste per capita.
To support the rollout of the new service, Lancaster has already been given £1.46 million in government funding to purchase new vehicles and provide the food waste containers.
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