With the introduction of weekly food waste collections most of the weight currently collected in the black bin can be diverted to the food waste service. This will then reduce the amount of waste collected in black bin and make fortnightly collections less efficient.  

Weekly food waste collections will help tackle this issue. Currently a lot of food waste in the bin decomposes and causes unpleasant smells, especially in summer. Weekly collections including meat, dairy and leftovers will go in the sealed food waste caddy which will be collected every week. That means general waste bin will stay drier, cleaner and less smelly.

To avoid flies and maggots it is important that your food waste is not left uncovered before it is put in your outside bin. We recommend that you always:

• Try not to leave food standing around in the open for too long – use your kitchen caddy to contain your food waste.
• Store your kitchen caddy away from windows and doors.
• Ensure the lid of your kitchen caddy, and your outside kerbside caddy/green bin, is always fully closed.
• Line your kitchen caddy with a compostable liner. These will be provided when you receive your caddy.
• Empty uneaten pet food frequently and ensure it is always wrapped in a compostable bag.
• Try and minimise the amount of food your throw away. There are some great tips for using leftovers or using your freezer on Love Food Hate Waste (external link)
• Flies are less likely to be attracted to your caddy if you empty it frequently, draining any excess liquid and keep any outdoor caddy in a shaded area.

Every council in England must bring in food waste collections in by 31st March 2026.

We hope the changes will lead to better recycling rates and provide a more efficient service for residents. 

You may be entitled to an additional bin and to qualify we will need to arrange a visit from our waste education officers who will be able to assess your individual needs. 

We expect these changes to apply from April 2026 onwards.

If you are recycling as much as possible then we believe a three-weekly collection will provide plenty of space for most households. If you are struggling then you may be entitled to an additional bin, however, in order to qualify you will have to request a visit from our waste education officers who will be able to assess your individual needs. 

Households that have children in nappies may be understandably concerned about their waste. To avoid smells, please put all used nappies in a tied bag before placing them in the black bin. You may wish to wash your bin occasionally with washing up liquid and/or boiling water.

We appreciate that households with children in nappies may also produce a larger quantity of waste. If you have one or two children in nappies then the size of your standard black bin should be adequate if you are fully recycling your other waste. We can assess individual households that produce large quantities of nappies and provide details of how you can apply for additional capacity. 

If dog waste is collected while you are out walking your dog, dispose of it by tying it in a biodegradable bag and putting it in a dog waste bin or public litter bin. We recommend that you double bag solid dog and cat waste to avoid spillage and reduce odours. Consider putting a protective sheet at the very bottom of the bin, if the poo bag is likely to end up crushed at the bottom of the waste, in case of bag splits.

For cat litter, once the solid waste is removed and double bagged, place the litter in a bin liner. Put both in your non-recyclable waste bin. Try to use minimal amounts of litter and only clear out what you need to.

The only changes are to the frequency of collections and the introduction of food waste. We will continue to provide assisted collections. 

You will have an internal caddy with compostable bags. When the internal caddy is full you would then tie the bag and place in the external caddy which we will collect on your assigned collection day each week. 

Having food waste collected each week should provide more space in your residual bins, and with the introduction of larger 240L recycling bins you now have more weekly capacity than was provided on the old fortnightly boxes system. 

As we do now, we will come back to collect, provided the crew have not reported any issues. Issues that may exclude a return include the bin not being presented for collection at the required time or the bin’s contents being deemed contaminated. 

No. With food waste being removed from people’s black bins and the provision of wheelie bins for recycling we expect people to have more than enough space for their waste and recycling. 

No. The cost of providing the service will remain roughly the same as it is now. We are making the changes in an effort to increase the council’s recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste that currently goes to landfill. 

Yes, an increasing number of councils in England, Scotland and Wales have three-weekly collections for general waste, with some in Wales and Scotland having four-weekly collections. 

There is a national target from the government to recycle soft plastics by 31 March 2027.

We are currently unable to collect Tetrapak in the kerbside collection but there are recycle sites that these can be taken to: 

• Upper St Leonardgate (Seymour Street) Lancaster
• Morecambe Town Hall
• Household Waste and Recycling Centres at Salt Ayre and Keer Bridge, Carnforth

We understand this is one of the big questions that people have and it's important to remember that not everyone will receive new wheelie bins for their recycling. There will remain many cases where people do not have the space and/or our collection crews cannot access an area to safely pick up wheelie bins. Where this is the case we will be engaging with residents on how this can be resolved and a solution delivered that works for everyone.

Not everyone will receive wheelie bins. We understand that some people will not be able to manage with containers. More details will be provided as part of the rollout if the proposals are accepted.

A big reason grey wheelies get so full is due to food waste and recyclable items going in them.

Once weekly food waste collections start the grey bin should be less full and there will also be more room for recycling (with the wheelie bins).

Most people currently have a bin in their kitchen for food waste so this is just asking people to use a different type of container. We recommend the use of compostable liners and flies are less likely to be attracted to your caddy if you empty it frequently, draining any excess liquid, and keep the outdoor caddy in a shaded area.

We are unable to reimburse people for orders made prior to the wider roll out next year. Our website contains a warning before someone is able to order new recycling bins.

1. If people want to return their boxes they can be recycled into new wheelie bins or other products
2.  Not everyone will receive a wheelie bin so we will need to keep some in stock to replace those that are damaged.
3.  If people do not wish to return them then they may be used for garage storage or planters.

For the first year there is currently agreement with Lancashire County Council that free bags will be provided to line caddies. A decision on whether this continues after the first year will depend on whether we receive additional funding.

No - green waste collections are unaffected and will remain fortnightly.