PLANS are being drawn up to bring back weekly bin collections and simplify recycling across Basildon, at a cost of £3 million to the council. 

Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of Basildon Council, wants to scrap the current "disastrous bin system" which includes a fortnightly recycling scheme that requires people to separate their recycling themselves.

The existing system sparked fury across the borough including a petition signed by 2,606 people who were frustrated with the changes.

At the time the Tory lead administration insisted the changes were introduced in a bid to improve poor recycling rates across the borough.

Speaking during a live stream on Wednesday (10 July), Cllr Callaghan said: "I am acutely aware that we won the election back in May by essentially making it a referendum on the disastrous bin system. You pay the highest rate of council tax in Basildon Council's history and the council has not done a very good job at collecting your waste and collecting your bins. 

"We are going to be taking a report to the cabinet next Thursday, and this meeting is going to be looking at how we go back to weekly black sack collections. That is a promise we made and that is a promise we are going to deliver.

"Alongside that, we know we want to get rid of those horrendous, blue and white sacks, those Ikea-looking bags that blow away, get filthy dirty, are absolutely useless.

"So again we are going to go out and consult you on what would you like, some people tell us they would like another couple of wheelie bins, and other people want to go back to actual sacks, like we used to have with pink sacks.

"Either way we are going to ask you exactly what it is you want to dispose of your recycling and we will look to move very quickly so we align the black bins going weekly with whatever the new system is for the recycling.

"But we want to hear from you so make sure that when that consultation launches you get your feelings across, get your feelings known."