Every household in Swindon will be able to put out its raw and cooked food waste for collection so it can be recycled, should the borough council’s cabinet agree a new plan.

And council waste and recycling teams hope a small change in the way residents put out their rubbish will help increase the borough’s rates of recycling.

The plan, if it wins approval, won't come in for another two years to allow for the replacement of the current fleet of lorries as it becomes too old.

As well as receiving two food waste caddies, one for inside and a larger one for putting out weekly, householders will no longer be asked to recycle plastic waste separately or in flimsy plastic bags,

They will keep their two plastic recycling boxes and be given a large 70-litre weighted plastic bag.

Cans, bottles, plastics paper and card will all be put out at the same time, and it will help if items are separated into different containers.

Bottles should be put in one box and cans in the other. Officers are still working out whether plastics, or paper and card are best in the weighted plastic bag.

The point of separating different materials to ensure a better quality of recycling, which means more will be recycled rather than go to landfill or be turned into fuel, and the council will receive a higher price for the material.

The council’s cabinet member for service delivery, waste and transport Kevin Parry said: “We want Swindon’s recycling service to be at the forefront of industry best practice and that means future-proofing our collection methods so that we won’t have to make further changes in a few years’ time.

“This is a really exciting time for the service, as the emerging new government waste framework has allowed us to take a fresh look at our recycling collections and develop a cost-effective proposal that delivers environmental benefits”

Keith Williams, the council’s cabinet member for climate change added: “This proposal is the best of both worlds. It will allow us to adapt the current service to ensure it is as environmentally friendly as possible and offer residents the opportunity to recycle their food waste, while in the most part, keeping the collection methods residents are familiar and comfortable with.”

If the new plan is approved, the council will wait until it has replaced its fleet of ageing recycling collection lorries with purpose-built new vehicles before bringing in the changes in October 2023.