A call to consider South Holland residents having just one bin for recycling in the future shake up has been dismissed by a leading councillor.
Every household will be given four bins eventually with two different ones for recycling, one for plastics, tins and glasses and one for paper and card.
There will also be a general waste bin collected fortnightly around the recycling collections and a food waste caddy to be collected weekly.
As is the case currently, residents can also request and pay for a bin to put green waste in.
North Lincolnshire Council announced what it calls a ‘streamlined’ service which includes just one bin for all recycled items, one for food and garden waste to be collected weekly and a fortnightly collection of general waste.
At South Holland District Council’s meeting last week Coun James Avery asked: “If North Lincolnshire Council can simplify its recycling is it not possible that we can do the same?”
Coun Jim Astill, the portfolio holder for waste disposal, said no.
“Evidence suggests that separation of recycling to the method we’ve chosen actually decreases contamination which is something that we struggle with greatly,” he told the council. “It’s demonstrated by lower contamination levels for our partner councils in Boston and East Lindsey.
“Bear in mind that the Environment Act states that councils ‘should’ seek to separate their recycling by the method we have chosen.”
South Holland District Council’s contamination rate is 20 per cent while every other council in Lincolnshire’s is less than nine per cent.
The authority currently recycles 31.5 per cent of waste, way below the national average of 44 per cent and the national target of 65 per cent by 2035.
North Lincolnshire Council say its new service will be lawful. Residents there would not have to pay extra for the green waste collection scheme.
South Holland’s paid for scheme is currently paused, though Coun Astill said the authority is ‘hopeful’ it will be able to launch again in April.
The service was over-subscribed with a waiting list for a number of years but an attempt to create a new routing scheme in 2024 to accommodate them was abandoned which meant nobody was allowed to sign up the scheme in 2025.
Coun Astill said the new routes were currently being ‘polished and tested’ and that information on the revamped service would go out to households in the district with council tax bills during February and March.
“We’re confident of everything being in place for April 1,” he said. “A flyer which will go out with the council tax bills will also have more information about waste changes, transformation and the garden waste scheme as well.”
