Plans to switch fortnightly rubbish collections to three weekly in West Dunbartonshire are set to be approved next week.

It was previously told members approved plans to look at the potential of switching the general waste collections to every three weeks from fortnightly with the cash-strapped local authority facing a budget gap of £21m.

A meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council’s infrastructure, regeneration and economic development committee (IRED) will be asked to approve a new waste plan - which aims to push the area towards net zero goals by 2045.

The Scottish Government have set out ambitious targets to achieve zero waste to landfill by December 2025.

The proposals state that a recycling, resource and reuse centre (RRRC) would be established, while new communications strategies would focus on the importance of recycling.

The council also say in their objections that there would be ‘changes to our waste collection to increase recycling performance’.

A report which will be presented to members of the committee on August 16 stated: “In order to determine the actions required to improve recycling performance, waste services have worked in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland to model waste collections options.

“The options appraisal recommended a three weekly collection of residual waste with maintained or increased frequency of the collection of recycling material.”

Current figures are shown in the report that just over 35 per cent of rubbish locally is recycled - a figure that has dropped by almost 10 per cent since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report adds: “Our services will be delivered to households in a responsive manner.

“We aim to ensure that our customers are at the centre of the services we deliver supporting them to minimise, reuse and recycle their household waste.

“Infrastructure improvements to our household recycling centres and sites along with the development of a state-of-the-art RRRC will ensure that householders have access to facilities which again maximise the resource benefits.”