West Northamptonshire approves three-weekly black bin collections

The change brings services in Northampton and South Northamptonshire in line with arrangements already operating in Daventry.

The decision was approved by Cabinet at a meeting on 5 May 2026 and will apply to properties with individual wheeled bins for waste and recycling collections.

Councillor Nigel Stansfield, cabinet member for environment, recycling and waste, acknowledged that the proposals may concern some residents but said the authority would work closely with communities ahead of implementation.

He commented: “We know that changing waste collections can worry people, and we understand why.

“Our commitment is to work closely with residents to address as many issues as we possibly can. Our focus now will be listening to residents to understand their concerns and put the right support in place before any changes happen.

“We are not starting from scratch. We have real experience from Daventry about the varying needs of residents and we will use this to get it right.”

Change will not affect flats or sack collections

Under the changes, households in Northampton and South Northamptonshire will see general waste collections move from the current fortnightly schedule to once every three weeks.

Similar properties in the Daventry area have operated under three-weekly black bin collections since 2018.

The council said sack collections would remain unchanged, with weekly collections continuing for both general waste and recycling.

Properties with communal bins, including flats, will also continue to receive weekly collections.

The council added that while the changes would not reduce council tax costs, the revised collection arrangements could help prevent increases in the waste collection element of council tax in future years.

Lessons learned from the Daventry rollout will also shape the wider implementation programme, according to the council.

These include improving communication with residents, promoting recycling services more effectively and ensuring residents are aware of available support measures.