Changes to waste and recycling collections from autumn 2026
New government legislation means all councils in England must collect the same materials for recycling, including food waste.
For Cheshire East, this means some changes to how we collect your bins.
Contents
What's changing
From autumn 2026:
- food waste will be collected every week
- your black general waste bin will be collected every 3 weeks
- your bin collection day may change
Food waste collections
Find out more about food waste collections.
Changes to bin collection days
Keep putting your bins out on your usual day for now.
Your bin collection day may change when food waste collections start.
The online collection calendar currently shows existing schedules. We will update it with new collection days and food waste start dates by mid-September.
What will stay the same
We will continue to collect your:
- silver recycling bin every 2 weeks
- garden waste bin (brown/green) every 2 weeks - if you subscribe to our Garden Waste Recycling Scheme
Why we're making these changes
The government’s Simpler Recycling legislation means all councils must collect food waste every week.
Although we are receiving some funding from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), the cost of introducing weekly food waste collections is still significant for the council.
To help manage these costs, we will move to collecting black bins every 3 weeks. Councils that have already moved to three-weekly black bin collections have seen general waste fall, and it could raise our recycling rates by more than 4%. Because food waste is a large part of black bin waste, collecting it weekly will also free up space between collections.
If you currently use black bags instead of a wheelie bin
If you currently receive bagged waste collections due to space issues you will continue to have your general waste collected every 2 weeks. You will also receive weekly food waste collections and a new outdoor food waste caddy.
If you have a large household or medical needs
Food waste makes up a large amount of what is put in black bins. Moving to weekly food waste collections should free up space, helping your black bin last between collections.
If your household has 5 or more permanent residents or generates additional waste due to medical needs, you may qualify for additional bin capacity. Request a new bin. Delivery charges may apply.
Fly‑tipping and incorrect waste disposal
We take fly‑tipping seriously. It is a crime, and we will take enforcement action when we have evidence. More on fly-tipping.
To support the move to 3‑weekly black bin collections and help improve recycling rates, we are introducing a borough‑wide section 46 notice. After we have carried out education and awareness work, this notice will give the council stronger powers to issue fixed penalties to residents who continue to dispose of their waste incorrectly — for example, putting general waste in their silver recycling bin.
We are also increasing the size of our waste education and enforcement teams. Working with town and parish councils, these teams will focus on areas where current data shows the greatest need.
This work is supported by our 'Be the BIG Difference' campaign.
Keeping up to date
To keep up to date as we release more information:
You can still check your collection day at any time using our online collection calendar.
Back to top
Page last reviewed: 26 June 2026
Thank you for your feedback.