Bin collection days are set to change for 22,000 households in Newcastle-under-Lyme due to a re-routing exercise.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council will be making changes to recycling, domestic waste, garden waste and food waste collections for residents in wards across the south of the borough next month.

The council says the changes are needed due to the addition of around 4,000 new homes since the current waste service was launched in 2020, along with increased recycling rates and higher collection volumes.

While the service has been able to absorb these increases so far, remaining capacity is now 'constrained', changes will be needed to re-balance workloads and improve efficiency.

A council report warns that if the changes are not made, there will be an increased risk of missed collections and higher overtime costs.

The council will also purchase an additional recycling collection vehicle and hire a new crew to 'future proof' operations against further increases in demand.

Cabinet members will approve the changes to the waste and recycling service when they meet on Tuesday.

The report to cabinet states: "In 2020 there were 53,000 households in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. In the six years since this has risen by 4,000 properties.

"While the service has successfully absorbed this increase through operational efficiencies, further growth has now significantly reduced available capacity within the collection operation.

"This together with the locations where most of the housebuilding has taken place means the collection rounds have become unbalanced and inefficient which if not corrected will ultimately result in service failures on certain collection days."

According to the report, collections in the south of the borough are less efficient because they are scheduled for wards furthest away from the depot later in the week, meaning there is less time to address any problems that arise.

The re-routing will reverse this situation so collections in Loggerheads, for example, will be moved from Fridays to Mondays, while collections in Silverdale will move from Monday to Friday.

Once they are approved by cabinet, the changes will come into effect the week commencing 5 October.

These are how the changes will affect each ward in the south of the borough. Not all properties will be affected.

• Cross Heath, Knutton, Silverdale, Town - From Monday to Friday
• Maer & Whitmore, Loggerheads - From Friday to Monday
• Cross Heath, May Bank, Thistleberry, Town, Westlands - From Tuesday to Thursday
• Keel, Madeley & Betley, Maer & Whitmore, Silverdale, Thistleberry, Audley (12 properties) - From Thursday to Tuesday
• Westlands, Westbury Park and Northwood - From Friday to Wednesday
• Maer & Whitmore, Madeley & Betley - From Thursday to Monday
• Westlands - From Wednesday to Tuesday

All affected residents will be sent a letter or postcard informing them of the new collection days as part of a communications plan.

Councillor Ben Simpson, cabinet member for waste, recycling and green spaces, said: "Re-routing collection rounds in the south of the borough is about making sure we can continue to provide a high-quality, reliable and efficient service for residents as the borough continues to grow.

"Around 4,000 additional homes have been built in recent years and more residents are recycling, putting increasing pressure on some rounds.

"We need to act now to rebalance the service and make sure we have the capacity and resilience to meet demand, rather than wait for problems to develop.

"I appreciate that a change to collection day will mean some residents will need to get used to a new routine, which is why we'll be communicating directly with every affected household.

"The important thing to stress is that the service remains the same – it's simply the day of collection that is changing for some people."

The council will also purchase a new recycling collection vehicle at a cost of £330,000, which is expected to be delivered in 2027.

The additional crew is expected to cost £160,000 a year.