Title

DISTRICT COUNCILS' NETWORK

Waste collection plans to cost £680m a year, councils warn

Government plans to standardise kerbside waste collections will cost £680m a year, district councils have warned.

Government plans to standardise kerbside waste collections will cost £680m a year, district councils have warned today.

The District Councils' Network (DCN) said the proposals would create ‘chaos and confusion' as households could need as many as seven bins each.

DCN said there would be four separate bins for dry recyclables, as well as bins for garden waste, food waste and non-recyclables.

Council leaders also said the reforms would increase the number of collection vehicles on the roads.

DCN's lead member for enhancing quality of life, Cllr Dan Humphreys, said: ‘These proposals are poorly thought out, and will create costly chaos and confusion up and down the country.

'Rather than standardise waste collections, local communities should be able to decide what works best for them.

'What works for residents in villages and rural areas won't work for people living in flats in a busy town or city.'

Earlier this month, chief executives urged the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to identify and fund all additional costs.

DISTRICT COUNCILS' NETWORK

Fuel prices to remain high for councils, APSE chief warns

By William Eichler | 05 May 2026

There is ‘no sign’ of the higher fuel prices reported over the last month ‘significantly dropping’, the chief executive of the Association for Public Service...

DISTRICT COUNCILS' NETWORK

Reform pledges to proritise Green councils for immigration detention centres

By Paul Marinko | 05 May 2026

Reform UK has pledged to prioritise areas with Green-controlled councils for illegal immigration detention centres if it wins the next elections.

DISTRICT COUNCILS' NETWORK

Crude reckoning

By David Blackman | 05 May 2026

In the wake of the Iran-US conflict councils could be hit by a surge in inflation, insecurity of fuel supplies, demands for higher pay and more pressure on t...

DISTRICT COUNCILS' NETWORK

Boost helps put young people on the path to a career

By Jan Feeney | 05 May 2026

The Boost initiative has helped young people in King’s Lynn and Breckland on the journey to where they want to be in terms of a career path, says Jan Feeney.

Popular articles by Laura Sharman