PLANS to switch to fortnightly household waste collections in West Oxfordshire have met with a mixed reaction.

A new seven-year £21m contract has been handed to private contractor May Gurney by West Oxfordshire District Council.

There is currently one general household waste collection and one recycling collection a week.

People can opt for a garden waste collection for £3 a month.

Following the switchover to the new contractor in the autumn, a fortnightly free garden waste collection will start, alternating with the household collections, and there will be a new free weekly food waste collection.

The black box weekly recycling collection will continue for different types of materials.

Under the new scheme, residents will have a household waste wheelie bin, two recycling boxes and a food waste caddy, with the option of a green wheelie bin instead of one wheelie bin and two recycling boxes.

The council hopes the new system will result in at least 60 per cent of the district’s waste being recycled.

This would almost double the current recycling rate of 34 per cent.

David Keep, 42, who lives with his wife Alison in Mayfield Close, Carterton, said: “Personally I think it’s a good idea. We put out three recycling bags each week that are full up and our wheelie bin, for household waste, doesn’t have much in it.”

Gill Haley, 68, of Moorland Road, Witney, added: “Sometimes we don’t even put our dustbin out as we recycle everything we can.

“I cook fresh vegetables so we have very little waste to go in dustbins. I don’t think it will affect me much at all.”

But Queen Emma’s Dyke resident Derek Honey, 72, said he was concerned that those like him living in communal accommodation would suffer.

He said: “The main waste goes in two large skips, which are full every Tuesday. They will have to put more skips out, which will cost them more money.

“This could encourage littering.”

David Harvey, the district council’s cabinet member for environment, said: “It’s all about improving services, delivering long-term environmental benefits and providing value for money.”

Nicola Peake, managing director of environmental services at May Gurney, said: “As part of the recycling strategy, food waste collections will be introduced and we will enhance the current recycling services for the residents of West Oxfordshire.

“In addition to this we will introduce an annual report for residents so that they can see what happens to their recycling.”

The district’s current waste contract with Veolia ends in October but no launch date has been set for the new scheme.

witney@oxfordmail.co.uk