Plans to harmonise waste and recycling collections in east and South Cumbria will be debated next week.
Westmorland and Furness Council’s cabinet will meet on Tuesday, September 9.
Currently, Westmorland and Furness Council carries out 7.5 million collections annually from 117,000 households over 1,500 square miles.
A report to the cabinet said the creation of a new unified waste and recycling service was a priority for the authority, providing a service that was cost and carbon efficient, maximised the recovery and recycling of valuable natural resources, protected the environment and met the needs and expectations of residents.
Cabinet will be asked to consider a series of recommendations:
- The roll-out of an in-house waste and recycling collection service
- Adoption of alternate weekly residual waste collections using a 240 litre wheeled bin
- Adoption of an alternate weekly recycling kerbside collection service using two 180 litre wheeled bins
- Provision of bespoke service arrangements for residents that cannot adopt wheeled bins
- Agree to harmonise charges for garden waste for the 2026/27 financial year as part of the council’s annual budget setting process. Any proposed changes to fees and charges would be presented for approval, as part of the budget report, to full council.
Recommendations have been drawn up following the results of community engagement and consultation over the past year.
Almost 3,000 people shared their experiences of the current collection service at the end of last year, and over 4,300 took part in a consultation.
The council also ran pilot trials of different collection methods and container types in Ulverston and Penrith.
Subject to cabinet approval, the first changes under the harmonisation programme would be expected to begin rolling out in the next few months.
The changes would not take place all at once, the council said and added the introduction of new systems, vehicles and collection arrangements would be a complex process that would be rolled out gradually over a period of years.
