RESIDENTS are being urged to speak out and help save their fortnightly bin collection.

Cheshire West and Chester Council is running a public consultation on how it intends to collect waste over a 10-year period.

There are two options on the table, and one of them includes having bins collected every three weeks, instead of two.

Cllr Kevin Rimmer, mayor of Northwich, told Monday's town council meeting: "I would personally encourage every single resident to fill in that consultation.

"Where I live most [black bins] are overflowing.

"It assumes that most people have access to a vehicle to go to a recycling centre – which is not always the case.

"We shouldn't be under any illusions that this will have a major, major impact on everybody."

Option A is for household waste, recycling waste and garden waste to be collected every two weeks, while food waste would be collected every week using a caddy.

Option B would see residents have 240-litre residual waste bin rather than a 180-litre one, but household waste, recycling waste and garden waste collected every three weeks, with food collected every week.

In both options, residents would have two recycling bins, while garden waste would be collected from a 240-litre bin.

Cllr Andrew Cooper, who sits on both CWAC and the town council, added: "Both options are designed to reduce levels of waste and increase recycling.

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"They are intending to reduce the carbon cost of running the service by having larger receptacles, so they can collect them less frequently.

"And of course, there is the overriding thing of reducing the cost of running the service overall."

For more information and to take part in the consultation see CWAC's website.