Ribble Valley Borough Council is the only Lancashire authority still to collect non-recyclable\u00a0 \u2013 or \u2018residual\u2019 \u2013 waste on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n
The standalone councils in Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen also run alternating fortnightly collections, but Blackpool Council last month agreed to move to three-weekly general waste collection from next spring.<\/p>\n
A letter sent last week from Lancashire County Council chief executive Mark Wynn to his counterparts at authorities across the county \u2013 which has been seen by the LDRS \u2013 asks for their \u201cinitial responses\u201d to the \u201ccollection modelling\u201d work that was shared with them in July.<\/p>\n
It states that the county-led exercise identified \u201cpotential savings\u201d of around \u00a36m a year \u201cthrough changes to collection methodologies and subsequent disposal costs\u201d.<\/p>\n
While the correspondence does not specifically refer to a shift to three-weekly collections, Cllr Whipp says that is exactly the arrangement that was put on the table during a recent county council presentation on the subject for Lancashire authority chiefs.<\/p>\n
While he accepted that the change may eventually prove inevitable as a way of boosting recycling rates, the Lib Dem Pendle leader \u2013 who also sits on the opposition benches on the Reform UK-run county council \u2013 told the LDRS that this was \u201ccompletely the wrong time\u201d for it.\u00a0 He added that the overhaul would prove \u201cdeeply unpopular\u201d with residents.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Mark Wynn\u2019s letter suggested that now was just the time to make any changes ahead of the forthcoming government-ordered shake-up of Lancashire\u2019s councils, which will see the current 15 authorities axed and replaced with just a handful of new ones \u2013 each of which will be responsible for both waste collection and disposal across large swathes of the county.<\/p>\n
Acknowledging that implementing new collection arrangements may be \u201cdisruptive and sensitive\u201d, the County Hall boss said they would \u201cultimately support a smoother transition\u201d to the new council configurations and \u201chelp to introduce more consistency and standardisation in how services are delivered \u2013 accepting that there will always be some local subtleties\u201d.<\/p>\n
His letter added that while \u201ca significant proportion\u201d of the expected savings generated by any remodelling would be realised by the county council in its capacity as waste disposal authority, there was the potential \u201cto explore how these benefits could be shared amongst all councils\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a statement to the LDRS, a spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said:\u00a0 \u201cChanges to waste collections are being driven nationally, starting with the introduction of weekly food waste collections next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cLancashire County Council has been working in partnership with districts and the unitary authorities to develop a new waste strategy for Lancashire to incorporate the national changes into existing waste services.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral options have been modelled all of which aim to improve recycling rates across the county and deliver value for money for residents. But ultimately it will be up to each waste collection authority to decide what works best for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The government has ordered councils across the country to start collecting food waste from households from the end of March 2026.<\/p>\n
As the LDRS revealed in February, Chorley Council said it was already considering changes to the frequency of its other waste collections as part of that new set-up \u2013 although none has since been announced.<\/p>\n
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