Wiltshire Council approves changes to rubbish & recycling kerbside collections

Cabinet has agreed a series of proposals to make waste and recycling services more sustainable, cost-effective, and ready for future national changes. These plans aim to deliver long-term value for taxpayers, reduce carbon emissions, and support better recycling rates. 

Key proposals agreed:  

• Maintain the current kerbside system for dry recycling, as improvements at the Material Recovery Facility will boost recycling rates without changing household collections. This avoids extra containers, keeps things simple for residents, and saves unnecessary costs. Residents will be provided with extra single-use bags for flexible plastics to go into their existing recycling bin 

  
  

• To seek public feedback in early 2026 on moving household waste collections from fortnightly to three-weekly in 2027. With food waste and plastic bags removed, black bin waste will drop significantly cutting carbon, reducing costs, and boosting recycling

  
  

• Introduce a phased rollout of a Household Recycling Centre (HRC) booking system. This is to help reduce queues, cut emissions, and make visits easier and quicker for everyone, especially at sites where residents have told the council congestion can be a significant problem and is causing safety issues on the highways. The council will use the feedback on how the HRCs are used currently to help shape the future plans

The full announcement can be viewed on the Wiltshire Council website