Local business owners have raised concerns about Bristol’s proposed move to monthly bin collections, with storage and hygiene issues at the forefront of complaints.
Camilla Forest Kessler, a Bristol florist, warned about the impact on businesses that produce significant waste, particularly during busy periods.
This comes as Bristol City Council has proposed becoming England’s first major city to implement four-weekly black bin collections.
The Green Party-led authority has launched a public consultation on the potential changes, which runs until March 10.
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Camilla Forest Keeler told GB News that this is a “huge problem”
GB News
The small business owner told GB News: “I think it’s a huge problem. Especially for business owners like myself who produce quite a lot of waste.
“Especially in summer when it’s wedding season, we do produce a lot of waste. I do have private bin collections, but it’s a combination for recycling reasons.
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“I can’t imagine compostable items like what I produce to only be collected once a month, and how stinky it’s going to be in summer. Everything’s a mess as it is, and now it’s just going to be messy and stinky.
“That’s a worry from a lot of local people, there’s a lot of restaurants around too.
“So the hygiene impact of that is just not good. I understand that the council is trying to save a bit of money because they’ve been cut on £50million, but we’re also paying rates and taxes and council tax.
“If they’re going to reduce it by once every once every four weeks, then I would like it to be prorated.”
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She added: “There’s nowhere for us to put our bins. So just even the storage aspect of our waste every four weeks, where are we even going to put it?”
The council says switching to three-weekly collections would save £1.3m annually, while four-weekly collections could save £2.3m.
The proposal comes as the authority faces mounting waste treatment costs, which have risen by £4m in the past five years.
Deputy leader Heather Mack said the move would reduce costs and “the impact on the environment.”
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Black bins could only be collected once a month in Bristol
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Many English local authorities have already adopted three-weekly collections, though none of the major cities have yet moved to four-weekly pickups.
Bristol already boasts the highest recycling rate among England’s “core cities” at 45 per cent of household waste.
The council says around half of households don’t recycle food waste, with a quarter of black bin rubbish being food that could be recycled.
Each household throws away approximately £700 worth of food annually, according to council figures.