Council to work with communities on three-weekly collections

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) will spend the year ahead engaging with communities after Cabinet agreed to extend three-weekly waste collections across the area in spring 2027.

At their meeting last night (Tuesday, 5 May), Cabinet members agreed that three-weekly waste collections, already in place for Daventry households, should also be introduced to homes in the Northampton and South Northamptonshire areas next year.

Residents in flats and other households who use communal bins and terraced properties who use sacks for their general waste and recycling will continue to be collected on a weekly basis.

The three-weekly collections will only apply to residual waste across the area, with recycling bins continuing to be collected fortnightly and food waste weekly.

Support will be available for larger households, families with babies, and residents with medical needs. Larger black bins can be provided where households are eligible, and recycling capacity can be increased.

No households will move to three weekly collections until spring 2027 after residents have been fully engaged on the changes and receive clear information about dates, support available, and how to make the most of food waste and recycling services.

Clinical waste collections  and assisted collections will continue for residents who need them.

Councillor Nigel Stansfield, Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Waste, said: “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.”

Councillor Stansfield added that the Council already has a detailed list of lessons learned from the Daventry roll out, which will shape how the service is introduced elsewhere. These include clear communication, better promotion of recycling options, and making sure people know what extra help is available.

Extra recycling can also be left out on collection day in clear sacks, something many residents have said they were not aware of. As part of the national Simpler Recycling programme, 2027 will also see an increase in the types of material people are able to recycle at home, creating additional space in black bins.

Further details on timescales for engaging with residents on the future changes will be shared in the coming weeks.