The council said that the changes are intended to “harmonise” waste collections throughout the area, improve the service and create “a positive working environment” for its staff.
Additionally, it hopes that the changes will support its environmental goals and bring the area in line with incoming government legislation.
Councillor Denise Rollo, Cumberland council executive member for sustainable, resilient and connected places, explained: “The former Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland areas of Cumberland currently have different kerbside collection services – including how often it is collected and how it is collected.
“We are proposing some changes that are designed to provide a reliable and efficient waste collection services while ensuring fair and consistent access for all households.”
The consultation will run from today (6 December 2024) to Wednesday 8 January 2025. It can be viewed here.
Paper copies are available at libraries across the Cumberland area, as well as at Allerdale House in Workington, Cumbria House, and the Civic Centre in Carlisle or the Market Hall in Whitehaven.
What exactly is being proposed by Cumberland council?
In both the Allerdale and Carlisle areas, it has been proposed that the council will only collect and dispose of garden waste from one bin per property.
The council would introduce a yearly charge of £40 per additional garden waste bin – the same system is already in place in Copeland.
It is proposed to make this change in March 2025. Collections would be fortnightly between March and November each year.
Carlisle currently has collections all year round with reduced service from December to February.
The council has also proposed changing the collections in the Allerdale area to be the same as those in Carlisle and Copeland. This would mean that residual waste collections would be fortnightly while cardboard and paper collections will increase from monthly to fortnightly.
If approved, the change in collections will occur in April 2025 for residual waste and September 2025 for recycling.
Households will be able to request a 180-litre bin to replace current 120-litre bins to accommodate the change in collections.
In Carlisle, the consultation proposes introducing wheelie bins to replace the current mix of boxes and bags for recycling. Paper and cardboard would be in one bin while glass, cans and plastics will be mixed in another. This is in line with incoming Simpler Recycling legislation. The wheelie bins would be introduced from May 2026.
There are currently no changes being proposed for the Copeland area.
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