Stockport council has announced that blue bins for paper and cardboard recycling will be collected every two weeks instead of every four weeks from the beginning of December 2026. The change follows criticism of the local authority and has been welcomed by opposition parties, though some have questioned how it is being funded.
Change follows financial pressures
The council moved to four-weekly collections in 2025 due to financial pressures on its budget for day-to-day services. Earlier this week, councillor Jake Austin, the cabinet member overseeing bin services, said he was delighted to announce the move and that feedback had been 'loud and clear' that people 'want a service that makes it easier to recycle'.
Council leader Mark Roberts said: "It is critical people know the Liberal Democrats will listen to the feedback given and strive to make a positive difference wherever we can."
Criticism over open lid policy
The announcement comes after weeks of criticism of the local authority. Recent enforcement of a long-standing policy around collecting bins with open lids led to hundreds of people being left with uncollected bins. Stockport council has acknowledged it failed to tell people what was happening in advance and apologised, saying the change was brought in to make sure bin crews are safe when collecting bins across the borough.
Opposition parties have welcomed the decision but questioned its funding and timing. Councillor Matt Wynne, from the Edgeley Community Association, accused the Liberal Democrat council of 'making policy on the back of a fag packet' and claimed he found out about the change through a Facebook post.
Opposition questions funding
Labour councillor Rachel Wise, who leads the borough's second largest party, said: "It is the right thing to do and it is what our residents have been asking for but this is a U-turn. Labour councillors have been told for well over a year that a return to fortnightly collections was unaffordable, with figures running into the hundreds of thousands of pounds. Now the council administration has decided it can be done after all. The honest question is whether we would be here at all if the summer had not gone the way it did."
She added: "So let's be clear about what is being announced here. This is not a council improving a service. It is a council fixing a problem it created, months after residents told them it needed fixing, and presenting it as good news."
Councillor Liz Crix, who leads the Green Party, said she welcomed the move to more recycling, but added: "It raises questions because this was part of the budget cuts. It raises questions as to whether they will be able to keep within the budget that was set."
In response, councillor Jake Austin said: "Residents told us what they wanted to see from their bin service, and we're delivering it. Prudent use of the departmental budget means we are able to introduce fortnightly blue-bin collections without cuts to any other services. This Liberal Democrat administration made this decision as quickly as is practicable in the face of recent changes to the bin service. I am proud we have led on that decision. The alternative would've been another six months of delay for the improved service residents are asking for. Given that all parties have universally welcomed the change to fortnightly collections as a positive action, I am confident we have taken the right approach."
