Council miss waste targets following bin strike

WARRINGTON Borough Council missed its targets for the number of households in the borough who send household waste for reuse, recycling or composting, councillors were told at a meeting of the local authority’s Cabinet.

It comes just a year after the devastating bin strike which left residents without collections for almost three months from October 2023.
The target figure is just 50% of households in the borough, but figures show that only 48% of households have achieved this figure.
Councillors were told there was a reduction in dry mixed recyclables from blue bins and garden waste in green bins in quarter one, which has reduced the overall recycling performance.
It is expected that organic waste in green bins will increase in quarters two and three, but this is dependent on the weather.
As exclusively reported by Warrington Worldwide earlier this year, the impact of the refuse collectors’ strike can be seen in the fall in the number of green waste subscriptions in the borough.
There were 1,000 fewer green bin subscribers in 2024, compared to the same period in 2023 before the strike. Fortnightly green bin waste collections in Warrington ended on December 6.
The subscription costs an additional £42 for online users to £46 for those who pay over the phone – or in person for the service over nine out of 12 months.
Refuse collectors take away grass clippings, flowers, plants, leaves, cuttings and other garden waste from green bins displaying a permit sticker.
But in the last year there were just 42,125 subscribers compared to 43,150 a year ago. This is a reduction of 1,025 bins or 2.3% in total.
Subscriptions for 2025’s collection launched on Monday with the price going up by £1.50 per permit. The service will now cost £47.50 if bought at Contact Warrington or over the phone or £43.50 online.

The authority said face-to-face and telephone options are more expensive “due to the higher costs of operating and staffing these channels.”
The increase is more for those who took advantage of a prize freeze if they signed up before a price rise deadline.
Following the industrial action in Warrington, the council held a limited three month “price freeze” offer for residents who wanted to renew their green bin subscriptions.
The offer was launched in December 2023 and offered residents the previous year’s price of £39, if they subscribed between January 2024 and March 2024.
From April 2024, we then went back to our normal subscription model, which was £42 for the year.
Residents may find that they have a £4.50 annual rise but this is because they took advantage of the limited “price freeze” offer, rather than paying the standard price of a yearly subscription from April onwards.

Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Licensing, Cllr John Kerr-Brown said: “Our green waste collection service continues to be a popular and convenient choice for residents, and also helps us recycle thousands of tonnes of garden waste every year.
“While we always seek to keep charges down, a year-on-year increase in our operating costs means that, unfortunately, this small increase is necessary again this year.
“However, with the small increase we are able to continue delivering a service which makes a real difference, allowing all of us to do our bit to recycle right, reduce our carbon footprint and tackle the climate emergency.”
The latest projection from the cash-strapped council shows it has reduced the amount of a forecast £28.1 million overspend by more than £8 million. At quarter 2 (July to September), the council forecast the figure of £28.1 million overspend. But at period 7 (up to October 31), this overspend has reduced to £19.9 million.
Measures to reduce expenditure include limiting spend unless essential, holding vacancies and conducting a council-wide voluntary redundancy scheme.