RESIDENTS in Basingstoke and Deane may be able to recycle more than a third of their current waste if proposed changes to bin collections are approved.

The proposal would see a weekly food collection introduced in October 2025 with plate scrapings, peelings and other food waste going into the new bins.

It will be considered at a Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, July 30.

READ MORE: Council forced to close part of play area after vandals damage equipment

Graphic showing all in the grey bin (Image: BDBC)

The introduction of the service next October would put the borough ahead of the deadline set out in the Environment Act for having to bring in mandatory food waste collections.

A proposal will also be considered to extend the joint contract with Hart District Council and Serco to collect the waste for the next eight years from October 2025, moving to a different weekly waste and recycling collection routine from September 30, 2026.

The borough currently has a recycling rate of just 29 per cent, sitting 269th out of 317 authorities across England and fourth from bottom in Hampshire. The borough council added that a food waste collection could boost recycling rates as high as 52 per cent.

Further changes proposed by Hampshire County Council could see recycling rates rise even higher. The changes would result in upgrades to the county council's recycling sorting plant and network which will mean residents will be able to put even more items into their green bins.

In future, this will include plastic pots, tubs, trays and food and drink cartons being collected for recycling in the borough.

Cabinet member for residents’ services and housing Cllr Laura James said: “Residents have been asking us to introduce food waste collections for some time and we have been looking at the best way to do this across the borough as soon as possible.

“We have listened and, if approved by Cabinet next week, this decision will see the introduction of a new weekly food waste collection from October next year, removing over a third of waste from residents’ grey bins.

“When combined with Hampshire County Council’s plans to increase what can be recycled, including many more plastics, this would boost recycling and mean very little will need to go to waste in the grey bin. 

SEE ALSO: Public consultation to discuss major new solar farm plans

“All of these changes will give us the opportunity to redesign the weekly collection service. Weekly collection of food waste addresses issues around smells and food attracting animals to bins.

“We can then consider the most efficient, value-for-taxpayers’ money waste collection service, alongside our cross-council commitment to cut carbon under our unanimously agreed climate and ecological emergency declarations.”

The council will also consider a report that says reducing what goes into the grey bins to a minimum gives the opportunity to redesign the waste collection service with weekly food waste collections and different weekly bin collections.

The green recycling bin would be collected one week and grey waste the other. If agreed, this would be introduced in September 2026.