Switch to three-weekly bin collections approved

West Berkshire Council will join its near-neighbours Bracknell in emptying people's main black bins every three weeks.

The authority currently collects the bins every two weeks but hopes the switch will encourage more people to recycle items rather than throw them away in their standard waste bins.

The move is part of the council's new wider waste strategy, which it says will save about £150,000 a year.

It is yet to confirm when the switch will be made.

A public consultation previously carried out by the council said that 52% of residents who responded felt they could manage with less frequent collections, if the right support was provided.

Analysis by the authority shows that each resident produces 437kg of waste a year. The national average is 391kg.

West Berkshire Council said reducing black bin collection frequency could lead to increased recycling.

But Newbury resident Steve Fulker said: 'You're not going to change people's mindset.

"You're either going to recycle or you're not.

"Somebody saying your black bins won't be collected as much isn't going to encourage anyone who doesn't normally recycle to do it.

"It's not going to change anything."

The council says it is already helping residents recycle more by expanding the types of plastics it accepts at the kerbside, diverting more waste away from black bins.

The move to a once in every three week black bin collection will not affect people who live in flats and who share their outside bins with neighbours.

People's food waste will continue to be collected weekly with recycling and garden waste collections being emptied every two weeks, just as they are now.