More than 20,000 Chorley homes set to undergo changes to their bin collections

Chorley Council is committed to reviewing collection rounds.

And its adds that the benefits to changes will not only provide a better service for residents - but also ‘reduce carbon impact’.

More than 20,000 households across the borough will be affected by the proposed changes which are set to be approved by the authority’s executive cabinet on Thursday.

Chorley has a refuse and recycling collection contract, worth just over £26 million, with Northampton-based FCC Environment, which started in April last year.

The council said it reduced its waste collection costs by more than £1 million a year.

FCC have now submitted plans to change collection rounds.

A total of 20,804 households will be affected by the changes.

Of these, 13,285 households will see a change to their waste collection day and 7,520 a change to the order in which their bins are collected.

A total of 33,112 households are unaffected by the changes.

The executive cabinet will be also be told in a report: “There will be no reduction in the waste collection service. Each household will still have one collection day per week.

“Residential waste collections one week, with recycling and garden waste collected the alternative week.

“Collection frequencies will remain the same: fortnightly blue, grey and green bins; and four-weekly brown bins.”

FCC will minimise any disruption during the transition - September to December - with extra resources, including additional interim bin collection dates or the removal of additional side waste where necessary.

The council’s contact centre will be open during the weekend prior to the changes to help residents with queries.

The council says folk will be informed through a targeted letter with bin collection dates, a bin sticker to give advance notice, a dedicated webpage with a new ‘address checker’ feature, a social media campaign, press releases and posters in areas affected by changes.

Astley and Buckshaw ward will have the most households affected by day changes at 1,992.

Others include: Clayton-le-Woods North (1,953); Lostock (1,922); Chorley South East (1,141).

The whole of South Ribble (Buckshaw) a total of 1,316 households will have a day change.

Councillor Adrian Lowe, Executive Member for Customer, Advice and Streetscene services, said, “It is common practice for councils to periodically undertake efficiency changes to collection rounds, especially given the expenditure on staff costs, fuel usage, vehicle emissions and the associated environmental impacts.

“Proposals on route changes will be put to Executive Cabinet this week for their thoughts. Any changes to bin collection routes if approved will of course result in a complex operation and we want to ensure that our residents will be communicated with properly.

“If all is approved a communications campaign will begin shorty after, including a targeted letter with bin collection dates, a bin sticker to give advance notice, a dedicated webpage with a new ‘address checker’ feature, a social media campaign, press releases and posters in areas affected by changes.

“All the residents will have to do is look out for our communications which will come directly and then get familiar with your new collection details.”