Plans for black wheelie bins, a weekly food waste collection and the retention and improvement of a free garden waste service are to go before councillors.

The aim is to provide the best possible service to residents whilst also increasing the district's recycling rate.

The plans drawn up by East Cambridgeshire District Council are designed to have multiple benefits for residents and the environment at the same time.

Currently over 70% of local authorities charge to collect garden waste. If approved, it will mean East Cambs residents continue to benefit from a free fortnightly collection service. In addition, the charges for additional bins are being removed from spring 2026 to coincide with the launch of the new proposed services. Residents instead will be able to put in a request to the council for a green and blue bin free of charge if one is not enough.

Replacing a black sack collection with a wheeled bin and introducing weekly food waste collections will also reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill and prevent litter escaping.

Residents will also be able to easily recycle soft plastics such as cling film, carrier bags, trays and tubs. This will further reduce the amount of waste going into black bins and will mean less waste going to landfill.

If approved, the council is aiming to bring in all the changes from spring 2026 to coincide with government plans to introduce a weekly collection of food waste nationally. Funding is being made available by the government to support this.

Residents who receive a standard household collection will be provided with:

• Food waste: a free 5 litre kitchen caddy and a 23 litre kerbside caddy which will be collected weekly. An initial years supply of caddy liners will be provided
• Dry recycling: this will continue to be collected in a blue lidden 240 litre wheeled bin every two weeks. Residents will be able to add in soft plastics such as tubs, plastic bags and cling film. For households that regularly fill their blue bin, residents can put in a request for a second bin free of charge
• Green recycling: garden waste will continue to be collected for free in a green lidded 240 litre wheeled bin every two weeks. If required, residents can request a second bin free of charge
• Rubbish: a free 180 litre black wheeled bin will be provided for any waste that cannot be recycled and collected every two weeks.

Alternative services and assisted collections will continue to be provided for residents who cannot accommodate wheeled bins or have additional needs, such as those with larger families.

The proposals will go before the council's operational services committee on 23 September.

If approved, they are expected to save the equivalent carbon produced by travelling 3 million miles in a petrol car each year, helping the council meet its core environmental objective of creating a cleaner, greener East Cambridgeshire.

Cllr Anna Bailey, Leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "We are really excited to be announcing these proposed changes to be brought in in 2026 which I know will have multiple benefits for all residents - and the environment too.

"For residents, it means they continue to receive a free garden waste collection - something only a handful of councils continue to provide. They will also get free extra blue and green bins on request, will have their food waste collected weekly, and be able to easily recycle all of those tricky plastic trays and bags that many people just end up putting in the rubbish.

"In turn, this will help reduce the amount of non-recyclable rubbish and food waste going into landfill. Last year we recycled 58% of waste, putting us in the top 20 local authorities in the country when it comes to recycling. This included a staggering 7,000 tonnes of dry recyclables and 11,000 tonnes of green waste.

"I know our residents recognise the importance of recycling and with their help, I know we can improve our excellent recycling rate even further, helping us all create a cleaner, greener East Cambridgeshire."

The council will also be running engagement campaigns to help people realise the importance of using less and recycling more alongside the introduction of the new bin service.

A broader outline of the initial proposals is available in the council's committee report on our website.