Recycling bins change comes with £6.5m price tag

A council in Leicestershire has approved initial plans to overhaul its recycling service at an estimated cost of £6.5m.

North West Leicestershire District Council's (NWLDC) new two-bin system will see one bin used to collect plastic, glass and metal, while the other will be used for paper and cardboard.

It will replace the current arrangements where a red box is used for glass, plastic, cans, tins and foil, a blue bag is for paper and a yellow bag is for cardboard.

Subject to further approval of funding for new vehicles and bins, residents will see the changeover take place in stages between autumn 2026 and autumn 2027.

NWLDC said the changes come after a public consultation where 61% of the 20,000 responses selected the two-bin option.

Officials said they hoped the new system would improve the authority's current recycling rate of 44.7% in 2023/24.

Full funding for the scheme still needs approval but is estimated at £4.5m for vehicles, £1.7m for bins and about £200,000 for other equipment.

These costs are expected to come out of council reserves.

Paul Sanders, head of community services at NWLDC, said the decision had been shaped by public feedback and changing government guidance.

"The two-bin system is the best of both worlds. It gives local people a simpler recycling system, without the need for lots of different containers, whilst also keeping cardboard and paper separate.

"This maintains the quality of the recycling and protects a crucial income stream for us, as the money we get from our recycling goes into valuable council services," he said.

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