Households in Cornwall could have recycling collected weekly alongside food waste under a proposal submitted to Cornwall Council.

The council's Neighbourhoods Overview and Scrutiny Committee has recommended that the council changes how kerbside waste and recycling is collected from 2020, with its suggestions due to be considered by the cabinet ahead of a final decision in February 2018.

The committee supported a key recommendation that recycling be collected every week from 2020, and that residents be provided with new kitchen and kerbside containers for food waste which would also be collected weekly. All other non-recyclable waste would be collected every fortnight.

Cornwall Council cabinet member for environment and public protection, Sue James, said: “At the moment our kerbside recycling service collects ‘dry’ recycling such as plastic, cans, glass, paper, cardboard, clothing and pots, tubs and trays every fortnight. The proposal that cabinet will be asked to consider at their meeting on November 15 is that we provide residents with new kitchen and kerbside containers so that we can add food waste to the list and that all of this recycling would be collected weekly.

“Evidence from other local authorities, 75 per cent of which collect waste that can’t be recycled fortnightly, shows that this could enable Cornwall to rise from its current recycling rate of 35.7 per cent to meet the 2020 50 per cent national recycling target.”

Sue goes on to say: “How we collect waste and recycling directly affects every resident and community but it also affects our environment and there are no simple solutions. The proposals have been informed by evidence from experts across the UK who shared their experience and insights. It is vital that the service which we put in place from 2020 not only meets resident needs and Cornwall’s recycling targets but also provides value for money.”