- Latest update: this consultation has now closed and the consultation report is available to download below.
Eastbourne Borough Council is considering changes to the waste and recycling service. This includes moving from weekly to fortnightly waste collections in most parts of the borough, known as 'alternate weekly collection'. We would like to know how this change would affect you.
The aim of the changes would be to increase the amount of waste recycled in Eastbourne. The UK government has set a target for all local authorities to achieve a recycling rate of at least 50%. Eastbourne’s recycle rate currently stands at about 35% and there is clear evidence from the experience of other local authorities that moving to alternate weekly collections increases recycling.
Currently Eastbourne is one of the few remaining local authorities in the UK which still collects waste (non-recyclable refuse) weekly.
Under the new arrangements recycling collections would stay fortnightly and we would still offer assisted collections for anyone who need them. Your collections would still happen on the same day of the week and would alternate between waste one week and recycling the next.
We are aiming to reduce the amount of waste produced in Eastbourne and fewer waste trucks on the road would also contribute to the carbon reduction aims of the town.
There would also be a financial benefit to changing the service. The Covid-19 pandemic has created significant financial challenges for all local authorities and moving to fortnightly waste collections will, along with other measures being made across all areas of the council, help to meet these challenges.
We have tried to answer many of the questions residents might have in a 'frequently asked questions' document which you can download below. We will update this document over the course of the consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Consultation
From Monday 28 September to Monday 21 December 2020 the council invited responses to the proposals via a public consultation.
We appreciate moving to alternate weekly collections would be a big change and that while many people will welcome the increased recycling, residents may also have questions or concerns. We carried out this consultation to find out how the changes would affect people in Eastbourne and what measures we might need to put in place to help residents under the new arrangements.
We provided an online survey for people to send us their views. We also offered the consultation information in different languages and formats such as audio, Brail or large print.
Next steps
A consultation report has been written - this is available to download below. This report will be considered by the Eastbourne Borough Council Scrutiny Committee on 8 February 2021 and then Cabinet on 10 February 2021.
Any decisions made will be published on this page and will be communicated directly with the consultation respondents.
