Hundreds of households in narrow streets in Wokingham, Woodley and Earley are finally due to have their blue bags replaced with wheelie bins.
The vast majority of residents in Wokingham Borough have been using bins since 2023.
Before that, neighbours got rid of their household waste using blue bags.
A minority of around 500 households have kept these blue bin bags due to narrow access to their properties.
But that is set to change according to a policy by Wokingham Borough Council.
Properties that can accommodate wheelie bins will be provided with them, with waste collected fortnightly, and those who cannot have wheelie bins will continue to receive blue bags that will be collected fortnightly.
Food waste would continue to be collected on a weekly basis.
The changes were laid out by Giorgio Framalicco, the council’s director of place and growth, during a meeting of its community and corporate overview and scrutiny committee.
Councillor Pauline Jorgensen (Conservative, Hillside), the leader of the opposition, said: “It sounds like you’ve decided they won’t get weekly collections come hell or high water. And most of these properties that haven’t got gardens haven’t got anywhere to put their bins are also quite small.
“And I wouldn’t like to have two weeks’ worth of residual waste in my house stored whilst you get round to collecting it.
“And I’m just a bit concerned about those residents that are already probably in small properties have got nowhere to put the waste and are now going to get it collected every two weeks.”
Mr Framalicco replied that the council will work with residents on their options and what it can do for them.
The policy has been devised with the aim of saving a total of £18,000 over the next three years.
But concerns were raised that tailoring the service to meet the waste collection needs of residents would cut into those savings.
Cllr Marc Brunel-Walker (Liberal Democrats, Wokingham Without) said: “I understand that the new contract and I understand that it gives us the ability to do these savings. I have a concern that we end up having to design a service house by house or small blocks, and I’m worried that very soon we’ll end up with a more complex system that might actually eat into those savings more.”
Cllr Jorgensen added: “I think we’re just saying can we use a bit of common sense for the residents that really haven’t got an option and I wouldn’t want to keep two weeks worth of waste in my house and there is a risk that some people so you know people some people will probably fly tip it which is the other issue you’ve got, I just want a bit of open-mindedness about people who genuinely have got nowhere to put it.”
Mr Framalicco replied: “I think we’ll do our very best to make sure that there is equity of service across the borough.”
Asked by cllr Jorgensen whether any residents could have their weekly collections retained, Mr Framalicco insisted that workable arrangements have to be devised first.
The changes to the waste collections at the meeting on Tuesday, December 16.
The council’s Liberal Democrat executive is expected to approve the changes in January for scheduled rollout next July.
