RECYCLING rates in Basildon have dropped following the introduction of weekly bin collections in the area. Between April and June this year the rates are more than 10 per cent lower than the same three-month period last year.

In April 2025, plastic bags for recycling collections replaced the previous reusable sacks. That system, brought in by the Conservatives in November 2023, included large reusable bags for recycling and fortnightly black bin collections. The recyling bags could not be sealed which led to rubbish spilling onto the street.

The collections now have non-recyclable waste collected weekly from wheeled bins and new single-use disposable white and blue plastic bags to replace the "unpopular reusable recycling sacks". Recycling is also collected weekly. Under the changes, paper and card recycling is collected in blue sacks, and plastic and cans will be put into white sacks.

However, the Quarter 1 recycling rate – between April and June for 2025 averaged 47.99 – down from 58.45 per cent in the same period in 2024. The council says this is down to an increase in the level of residual waste collected, a decrease in food waste and a decrease in garden waste collected.

It adds: "longer term data will need to be monitored to understand whether these trends are sustained". Residual waste tonnage for Quarter 1 of 2025/26 increased slightly to 8,854 tonnes, up from 8,348 tonnes in the same period of 2024/25. But the council says these levels are significantly lower than when the unlimited weekly sack collection system was in operation in 2021/22.

A statement as part of documents to be discussed at a Basildon cabinet meeting later this week (Thursday, 11 September) said: "It is important to note that waste arisings can heavily fluctuate month by month and this data is only available for Quarter 1 of 2025-26. To understand the full impact of the recent changes to services, a full year and even further year of tonnage analysis is required.

"The below data does show a slight reduction in the recycling rate for Quarter 1 of 2025/26 which was expected given the change in frequency of residual waste collections. The council's recycling rate is heavily supported by the tonnage of garden waste collected each year and due to the incredibly dry period so far this summer, tonnages are lower than average and therefore impacts on the recycling rate.

"Food waste tonnages have fallen a little and a full year analysis would be useful to see if this reduction is related to any other reason, such as behaviour changes. There was an additional food waste campaign which ran last year which made a big impact on tonnage levels."