Starting this week (22 September 2025), black bin collections will take place every three weeks instead of fortnightly.
Recycling will continue to be picked up every two weeks, while food waste collections remain weekly.
The council said the change will help it achieve a 60% recycling rate by reducing the amount of recyclable material going into general waste, as well as lowering disposal costs and cutting carbon emissions.
The move will also release resources for other essential services.
Waste levels in West Berkshire
Analysis by the council found that 42% of material in black bins could have been recycled through existing kerbside services.
According to Defra, West Berkshire is one of the highest waste-producing areas in the country, ranking 25th out of more than 300 local authorities in England for waste generated per person.
Until now, the authority has offered the largest residual waste capacity in Berkshire at 120 litres per household per week. Under the new system this reduces to 80 litres per week.
By comparison, councils such as East Devon and Somerset, which have already adopted three-weekly collections, provide 60 litres per week.
The council said its analysis, supported by research from Eunomia, shows that moving to a three-weekly cycle could lift its recycling rate by 5%.
Future plans include expanding kerbside recycling collections in line with the government’s Simpler Recycling requirements. Aluminium foil and cartons (such as Tetra Pak) are set to be added by March 2026, with plastic film (such as bread bags and crisp packets) to follow by March 2027.
Public consultation
The decision follows a public consultation held in autumn 2024, which attracted 5,073 responses.
While most respondents agreed the council’s draft strategy was suitably ambitious, many expressed concern about reducing black bin collections to every three weeks.
The majority did not believe the change would increase recycling rates or cut waste.
However, nearly half of respondents reported having spare capacity in their black bin on collection day, before the introduction of plastic pots, tubs and trays collections.
The council said most respondents indicated they could adapt to less frequent black bin collections if the right support was provided.
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