Herewith a link to a consultation on waste collection from Bedford Borough Council.
I have just noticed that the deadline is TODAY 30th November. Apologies. I was only notified of it last week and we normally have 6 weeks to respond.
In essence they are planning to:
- introduce kerbside glass recycling in the coming months
- introduce food waste recycling and flexible film recycling in 2026
They are now consulting on whether to:
- move to three weekly black bin collections (as food and flexible packaging will be collected separately)
- charge £56 per year for garden waste collections
- have a stricter appointment system for using Barkers Lane recycling centre in Bedford – restricting it to residents only and making appointments etc.
As Clerk my only comment is that we saw a huge increase in fly tipping of green waste in our parish when the garden waste collection charge was introduced in Huntingdonshire and I also worry that anything that makes it more difficult to dispose of things at a recycling centre could also lead to an increase in fly tipping.
I strongly object to paying for green waste. I compost what I can but hard wood prunings will not compost without shredding. Due to the calendar collection ie March to December, we already have 2 less green collections than other parishes such as Sharnbrook where my mum lives.Charging for green bins will only encourage people to put green waste in the black bin or fly tip. Separate collection for plastic film seems a waste of time and money. It would be better it this could go in the orange bin. I welcome the glass recycling which the council website says is available to all from 1st December although we’ve had no notification of this.
With my dad being incontinent there is no way we could cope with a 3 weekly black bin collection its a real struggle with the two weekly cycle. I do wonder what we pay our council tax for.
Another to add to a list of never ending examples where you pay more and receive less and worse service !
Will all this be introduced in 2026? Will the food waste have a separate bin? I think family’s will struggle with 3 weekly black bin collection and I agree that if they introduce an extra charge for garden waste we will more than likely see fly tipping.
we compost our garden waste.
our black bin is usually fill after two weeks while we still recycle soft plastic separately. Bedfordshire recycle centre is already difficult, being 22mile round trip having to book makes it more problematic.
I agree on the garden waste. I won’t be using that service so I hope it’s not compulsory. I don’t have a problem with 3 weekly black bin as there’s only 2 of us but bigger families could end up with a lot of waste and it smelling
The garden waste collection charge would not be compulsory. I think the idea is that the smelly waste is mainly food waste but a family using disposable nappies might have a problem.