A petition calling on the council to abandon plans to reduce black bin collections to once every three weeks, across Northampton and further afield, has hit more than 900 signatures.

This follows recent news that West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) cabinet is set to consider replicating a waste collection system established in the Daventry area across the rest of the authority.

The ‘1 2 3+’ system would see food waste collections every week, fortnightly recycling collections and general waste bins picked up every three weeks.

James Hill, a former Conservative councillor on the authority who launched the petition, said that the reduction in collections would constitute a “significant cut to a vital public service”.

Black bin collections could be moved to once every three weeks across the whole of West Northants.
Credit: Nadia Lincoln LDRS — Black bin collections could be moved to once every three weeks across the whole of West Northants. Credit: Nadia Lincoln LDRS

placeholder image — Black bin collections could be moved to once every three weeks across the whole of West Northants. Credit: Nadia Lincoln LDRS

“This proposal comes at a time when residents are being asked to pay more for less,” he wrote.

“WNC has recently voted through a Council Tax increase of 4.95 percent for the 2026/27 financial year. Furthermore, residents are facing a rise in garden waste charges to £69 per year and substantial hikes in car parking fees and residents’ permits across the town centre.

“It is professionally and morally indefensible to demand record-high contributions from taxpayers while simultaneously eroding the basic services those taxes are meant to fund.

“The council’s drive for a ‘single approach’ ignores the geographical reality of our county. Northampton is a large, densely populated urban town with very different needs compared to the rural areas and smaller towns, such as Daventry, where three-week collections have already been introduced.

“Sign this petition to tell West Northamptonshire Council: We pay for a service, and we expect it to be delivered.”

He also warned of the consequences of the collection changes, which he said could attract vermin and lead to foul odours, as well as the impact on families with young children using nappies and who produce higher volumes of waste.

Local resident Joanna also commented on the petition: “The streets of Northampton are already littered and uncared for. This reduction would aggravate existing uncleanliness, force people to dump their rubbish in random places, causing more problems and requiring more money to be spent further down the line.

“Every three weeks – that only means more rats, more flytipping, more cleaning up afterwards, more frustration for the residents and the negative impact on the reputation and public image of Northampton.”

The proposed move to a three-weekly bin collection rota has been a consideration for some time and was previously discussed at a committee meeting in January 2025 under the previous Conservative administration. This coincided with the start of a council review into its waste collection and cleansing services post 2028, when its existing contractual arrangements are due to end.

The proposals have also received mixed reactions from backbenchers on the Reform UK administration, with Kingsthorpe North councillor Nigel Berrill publicly opposing the black bin changes on his social media account.

The council has said that the harmonisation of waste collection and street cleansing services will reduce the number of miles travelled and the associated carbon emissions and encourage residents to make full use of the separate collection of recyclables and food waste.

If the proposals are agreed at the cabinet meeting on May 5, it is anticipated that the collection changes in South Northants and Northampton would be in place by spring next year.