“It is going better than expected.” That is the claim from Liberal Democrat councillor Stuart Gourley (Newbury Clay Hill), who led the move to three-weekly black bin collections in West Berkshire — a change that now looks likely to stay.
Mr Gourley says the district’s “waste habits” have improved and that, despite the unpopularity of the switch, “Fear of change was definitely more significant than the actual change,” he claims. “People are finding it less bad than they thought it would be.”
He will report the latest figures to the council’s scrutiny committee next week. Financial savings have risen from around £150,000 to £288,000. Dry recycling (card, plastic, cans etc) has increased six per cent, black bin waste is down by 15 per cent — a reduction of 1,049 tonnes — and food waste has risen by 22 per cent.
Mr Gourley said: “We have not reduced the number of vehicles we use, but we now pay less to dispose of waste.
“Also, we get an increased revenue from recycling so we get more income.”
Three-weekly black bin collections began on 22 September 2025 as part of a revised waste collection model intended to improve recycling, reduce refuse and support the service’s long-term sustainability.
Applications for extra black bin capacity jumped after the May 2025 announcement: 2,372 requests in 2025/26 to date, compared with 574 in the whole of 2024/25. Of those, 750 have been approved, up from 253 the previous year.
Before the change, analysis showed 42 per cent of black bin contents were recyclable and could have been diverted through existing weekly or fortnightly services. West Berkshire’s relatively high per-head waste generation and looming cost pressures — such as carbon-related charges at energy-from-waste facilities expected from 2028 — were also factors in the decision.
Mr Gourley admits the collection rota can be confusing and points to the council’s bin collection day webpage, while joking: “Actually, my wife knows better than me when our bins get collected here!”
Find your collection day: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/article/35776/Find-your-next-collection-day
Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter
