Benchmarks / SurveyBench / What Hollinbrook residents think of three-weekly bin collections
What Hollinbrook residents think of three-weekly bin collections
Hollinbrook District Council's household waste collection service for about 58,000 households in a mixed town and rural district in England. General waste (the black bin) is collected every two weeks, food waste every week and recycling every two weeks.
- Sound research
- 1 of 8 models
- Respondents
- 1,318
- Set numeric questions
- 11
- Traps planted
- 8
What each model made of it
Part 1: the brief each model planned a survey for
The council must find £3.1m of savings next year. Collecting general waste every three weeks instead of every two would save about £600k a year in rounds and disposal costs, and councils that have made the change report higher recycling; Hollinbrook recycles 43% of household waste. Food waste would stay weekly and recycling fortnightly. The council must consult residents before full council decides in the autumn.
- The decision
- Whether to move general waste collection to every three weeks across the whole district, to do so with extra support for households that need it (a larger bin, or extra collections of nappies and hygiene waste), to pilot it in some areas first, or to drop the proposal.
- Objectives
- How much support and opposition there is among residents for three-weekly general waste collection, and how views differ across the district
- How the change would affect households, especially those with young children or someone who uses continence or hygiene products
- Which option residents prefer, and whether extra support such as larger bins would change their view
- Whether the change would lead residents to recycle more
- Who to survey
- Adults (18 or over) living in the Hollinbrook District Council area
- Limits
- At most 10 questions after the screener and 6 minutes; about 420 completes; the same online questionnaire run two ways: an open consultation on the council website, promoted on social media and in the residents' magazine and open to anyone with the link; and a residents' panel of about 420 recruited by letter to randomly selected addresses in the district, matched to the district's age and tenure profile.
- Precision asked for
- Ward councillors want residents' panel results for each of the district's six wards to within plus or minus 6 percentage points at 95% confidence.
- A note from the stakeholder
- The council leader wants the consultation to show full council that residents support moving to three-weekly collections.
Part 2: the fielded survey every model analysed
Every model analyses the same survey and the same simulated responses, so every true number is known. This is what they were given.
The survey that was fielded (11 questions)
-
S1
Do you live in the Hollinbrook District Council area?
One answer- Yes
- No
- Not sure
Continues if Yes
-
S2
Are you aged 18 or over?
One answer- Yes
- No
Continues if Yes
-
Q1
The council is considering collecting general waste (the black bin) every three weeks instead of every two weeks. Food waste would still be collected every week and recycling every two weeks. How, if at all, would this change affect your household?
Open text -
Q2
To what extent do you support or oppose collecting general waste every three weeks instead of every two weeks?
One answer- Strongly support
- Tend to support
- Neither support nor oppose
- Tend to oppose
- Strongly oppose
- Don't know
-
Q3
If your household could have a larger general waste bin at no extra charge, would you support or oppose collecting general waste every three weeks?
One answer- Would support
- Would neither support nor oppose
- Would still oppose
- Don't know
Routing Shown only if Q2 is: Tend to oppose; Strongly oppose
-
Q4
Which of these options for general waste collection would you most prefer?
One answer- Every three weeks across the whole district
- Every three weeks, with extra support for households that need it (for example a larger bin or extra collections of nappies and hygiene waste)
- Every three weeks in some areas first as a trial, then decide
- Keep collections every two weeks
- Don't know
-
Q5
If general waste were collected every three weeks, how likely would you be to recycle more than you do now?
One answer- Very likely
- Fairly likely
- Neither likely nor unlikely
- Fairly unlikely
- Very unlikely
- I already recycle everything I can
- Don't know
-
Q6
Does your household include any of the following? Select all that apply.
Any that apply- A child aged under 3
- Someone who uses continence or other hygiene products that go in the general waste
- None of these
- Prefer not to say
-
Q7
Which ward of the district do you live in?
One answer- Hollinbrook Town
- Ashby Marsh
- Kettlewell
- Stanmoor
- Brookfield
- Wendle Vale
- Don't know
-
Q8
Do you own or rent your home?
One answer- Own outright
- Own with a mortgage or loan
- Shared ownership (part own, part rent)
- Rent from a private landlord
- Rent from the council or a housing association
- Live rent-free
- Other
- Prefer not to say
-
Q9
What is your age?
One answer- 18 to 34
- 35 to 54
- 55 to 74
- 75 or older
- Prefer not to say
Fielding. Open consultation: the online questionnaire was open to anyone with the link on the council website from 11 May to 21 June 2026, promoted on the council's social media and in the residents' magazine. On 1 June a local group, Keep Brookfield Tidy, shared the link on social media and in leaflets with suggested wording for the comments box. 1,463 started and 1,318 completed (median 3 minutes 40 seconds). Residents' panel: letters to 2,000 randomly selected addresses invited one adult per household to the same online questionnaire from 11 May to 21 June 2026, with panel places filled to match the district's age and tenure profile; 460 started and 422 completed (median 4 minutes 10 seconds). Tables show the 1,318 open-consultation and 422 panel completes separately, unweighted; the two sources are never added together. Percentages are of each column's base.
Population. The district's adults (Census 2021 and council tax records): aged 18 to 34 24%, 35 to 54 33%, 55 to 74 29%, 75 or older 14%; owner-occupiers 67%, renters 33%. Households by ward: Hollinbrook Town 30%, Ashby Marsh 20%, Kettlewell 18%, Stanmoor 16%, Brookfield 12%, Wendle Vale 4%. The council estimates that about 15% of households include a child under 3 or someone who uses continence or hygiene products.
The stakeholders asked:
- The council leader: 'Residents support three-weekly collections, don't they? I want to tell full council we have their backing.'
- The cabinet member for environment: 'Nearly four in five people in the consultation oppose it. Shouldn't we just drop the proposal?'
- The head of waste services: 'If we offered larger bins, would most of the people who oppose come round?'
The tables (11)
Q2 To what extent do you support or oppose collecting general waste every three weeks instead of every two weeks? By source
| Open consultation | Residents' panel | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1318 | 422 |
| Strongly support | 4.9% | 17.3% |
| Tend to support | 9.8% | 23.5% |
| Neither support nor oppose | 5.8% | 10.4% |
| Tend to oppose | 19.4% | 17.1% |
| Strongly oppose | 58.0% | 28.2% |
| Don't know | 2.0% | 3.6% |
| Net: support | 14.7% | 40.8% |
| Net: oppose | 77.5% | 45.3% |
Q2 To what extent do you support or oppose collecting general waste every three weeks instead of every two weeks? Residents' panel only
| Total | Child under 3 or hygiene products | Neither | Owner-occupier | Renter | 18 to 34 | 35 to 54 | 55 to 74 | 75 or older | Hollinbrook Town | Ashby Marsh | Kettlewell | Stanmoor | Brookfield | Wendle Vale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 422 | 54 | 368 | 282 | 140 | 110 | 138 | 123 | 51 | 133 | 83 | 76 | 67 | 47 | 16 |
| Strongly support | 17.3% | 7.4% | 18.8% | 17.4% | 17.1% | 17.3% | 16.7% | 14.6% | 25.5% | 17.3% | 12.0% | 22.4% | 17.9% | 17.0% | 18.8% |
| Tend to support | 23.5% | 7.4% | 25.8% | 25.2% | 20.0% | 20.9% | 23.9% | 24.4% | 25.5% | 24.1% | 28.9% | 18.4% | 16.4% | 23.4% | 43.8% |
| Neither support nor oppose | 10.4% | 9.3% | 10.6% | 11.7% | 7.9% | 10.9% | 10.9% | 10.6% | 7.8% | 8.3% | 16.9% | 6.6% | 10.4% | 8.5% | 18.8% |
| Tend to oppose | 17.1% | 29.6% | 15.2% | 18.1% | 15.0% | 11.8% | 15.2% | 22.0% | 21.6% | 18.8% | 10.8% | 22.4% | 20.9% | 12.8% | 6.2% |
| Strongly oppose | 28.2% | 44.4% | 25.8% | 23.8% | 37.1% | 34.5% | 29.7% | 25.2% | 17.6% | 28.6% | 22.9% | 28.9% | 34.3% | 34.0% | 6.2% |
| Don't know | 3.6% | 1.9% | 3.8% | 3.9% | 2.9% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 2.0% | 3.0% | 8.4% | 1.3% | 0.0% | 4.3% | 6.2% |
| Net: support | 40.8% | 14.8% | 44.6% | 42.6% | 37.1% | 38.2% | 40.6% | 39.0% | 51.0% | 41.4% | 41.0% | 40.8% | 34.3% | 40.4% | 62.5% |
| Net: oppose | 45.3% | 74.1% | 41.0% | 41.8% | 52.1% | 46.4% | 44.9% | 47.2% | 39.2% | 47.4% | 33.7% | 51.3% | 55.2% | 46.8% | 12.5% |
Residents' panel respondents only; the Total column is the whole panel.
Q2 To what extent do you support or oppose collecting general waste every three weeks instead of every two weeks? Open consultation only
| Total | Child under 3 or hygiene products | Neither | Hollinbrook Town | Ashby Marsh | Kettlewell | Stanmoor | Brookfield | Wendle Vale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 1318 | 381 | 937 | 312 | 175 | 147 | 145 | 501 | 38 |
| Strongly support | 4.9% | 1.8% | 6.2% | 3.5% | 6.3% | 8.8% | 6.2% | 4.0% | 2.6% |
| Tend to support | 9.8% | 2.4% | 12.8% | 11.9% | 12.6% | 12.9% | 10.3% | 6.4% | 10.5% |
| Neither support nor oppose | 5.8% | 4.7% | 6.3% | 5.8% | 6.3% | 5.4% | 9.7% | 5.0% | 2.6% |
| Tend to oppose | 19.4% | 24.7% | 17.3% | 22.4% | 19.4% | 15.6% | 22.1% | 17.8% | 21.1% |
| Strongly oppose | 58.0% | 65.4% | 55.1% | 52.6% | 53.7% | 55.1% | 51.0% | 65.7% | 60.5% |
| Don't know | 2.0% | 1.0% | 2.3% | 3.8% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 2.6% |
| Net: support | 14.7% | 4.2% | 19.0% | 15.4% | 18.9% | 21.8% | 16.6% | 10.4% | 13.2% |
| Net: oppose | 77.5% | 90.0% | 72.4% | 75.0% | 73.1% | 70.7% | 73.1% | 83.4% | 81.6% |
Open consultation respondents only; the Total column is the whole open consultation.
Q3 If your household could have a larger general waste bin at no extra charge, would you support or oppose collecting general waste every three weeks? By source
| Open consultation | Residents' panel | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1021 | 191 |
| Would support | 17.4% | 22.5% |
| Would neither support nor oppose | 10.9% | 9.4% |
| Would still oppose | 66.5% | 61.3% |
| Don't know | 5.2% | 6.8% |
Asked only of respondents who tend to oppose or strongly oppose at Q2.
Q4 Which of these options for general waste collection would you most prefer? By source
| Open consultation | Residents' panel | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1318 | 422 |
| Every three weeks across the whole district | 8.6% | 22.0% |
| Every three weeks, with extra support for households that need it (for example a larger bin or extra collections of nappies and hygiene waste) | 25.9% | 23.7% |
| Every three weeks in some areas first as a trial, then decide | 17.9% | 25.4% |
| Keep collections every two weeks | 42.7% | 24.6% |
| Don't know | 4.9% | 4.3% |
Q4 Which of these options for general waste collection would you most prefer? Residents' panel only, by household
| Total | Child under 3 or hygiene products | Neither | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 422 | 54 | 368 |
| Every three weeks across the whole district | 22.0% | 5.6% | 24.5% |
| Every three weeks, with extra support for households that need it (for example a larger bin or extra collections of nappies and hygiene waste) | 23.7% | 55.6% | 19.0% |
| Every three weeks in some areas first as a trial, then decide | 25.4% | 13.0% | 27.2% |
| Keep collections every two weeks | 24.6% | 25.9% | 24.5% |
| Don't know | 4.3% | 0.0% | 4.9% |
Residents' panel respondents only; the Total column is the whole panel.
Q5 If general waste were collected every three weeks, how likely would you be to recycle more than you do now? By source
| Open consultation | Residents' panel | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1318 | 422 |
| Very likely | 9.6% | 15.6% |
| Fairly likely | 14.6% | 24.9% |
| Neither likely nor unlikely | 23.3% | 16.1% |
| Fairly unlikely | 16.8% | 13.7% |
| Very unlikely | 17.1% | 15.4% |
| I already recycle everything I can | 15.2% | 11.8% |
| Don't know | 3.4% | 2.4% |
| Net: likely | 24.2% | 40.5% |
Q6 Does your household include any of the following? By source
| Open consultation | Residents' panel | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1318 | 422 |
| A child aged under 3 | 17.5% | 7.1% |
| Someone who uses continence or other hygiene products that go in the general waste | 12.4% | 5.9% |
| None of these | 71.1% | 87.2% |
| Prefer not to say | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Respondents could choose more than one answer, so columns can add up to more than 100%.
Q7 Which ward of the district do you live in? By source
| Open consultation | Residents' panel | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1318 | 422 |
| Hollinbrook Town | 23.7% | 31.5% |
| Ashby Marsh | 13.3% | 19.7% |
| Kettlewell | 11.2% | 18.0% |
| Stanmoor | 11.0% | 15.9% |
| Brookfield | 38.0% | 11.1% |
| Wendle Vale | 2.9% | 3.8% |
| Don't know | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Q8 Do you own or rent your home? By source
| Open consultation | Residents' panel | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1318 | 422 |
| Own outright | 26.5% | 19.2% |
| Own with a mortgage or loan | 55.0% | 47.6% |
| Shared ownership (part own, part rent) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Rent from a private landlord | 9.8% | 17.3% |
| Rent from the council or a housing association | 8.7% | 15.9% |
| Live rent-free | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Prefer not to say | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Q9 What is your age? By source
| Open consultation | Residents' panel | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1318 | 422 |
| 18 to 34 | 15.3% | 26.1% |
| 35 to 54 | 41.2% | 32.7% |
| 55 to 74 | 31.0% | 29.1% |
| 75 or older | 12.5% | 12.1% |
| Prefer not to say | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Open-text answers to Q1. The council is considering collecting general waste (the black bin) every three weeks instead of every two weeks. Food waste would still be collected every week and recycling every two weeks. How, if at all, would this change affect your household? (12 of 417 shown)
- C0005 · Open consultation, Brookfield, Neither, Owner-occupier I strongly object to the proposal for three weekly bin collections. Black bins will overflow, smell and attract flies and rats, especially in summer and for families with nappies. It will lead to more fly-tipping in our lanes. Keep fortnightly collections!
- C0007 · Open consultation, Brookfield, Neither, Owner-occupier I object to the proposal for three-weekly bin collections. Black bins will overflow, smell and attract flies and rats, especially in summer and for families with nappies. It will lead to more fly-tipping in our lanes. Keep fortnightly collections.
- C0017 · Open consultation, Kettlewell, Neither, Owner-occupier We already have to squash everything down to get the lid closed on collection morning. Three weeks would be impossible without bags left on the ground next to it.
- C0021 · Open consultation, Brookfield, Neither, Owner-occupier I object to three-weekly bin collections. Black bins will overflow, smell and attract flies and rats, especially in summer and for families with nappies, and it will lead to more fly-tipping in our lanes. Keep fortnightly collections. Keep Brookfield Tidy.
- C0028 · Open consultation, Kettlewell, Neither, Owner-occupier We already pay a hefty council tax bill for a modest terraced house, so being offered a thinner service for the same price is galling. Reduce the charge if you reduce the collections.
- C0029 · Open consultation, Wendle Vale, Child under 3 or hygiene products, Renter i object to the proposal for 3-weekly bin collections. black bins will overflow, smell and attract flies and rats especially in summer and for families with nappies. it will lead to more flytipping in our lanes. keep fortnightly collections
- C0037 · Open consultation, Brookfield, Neither, Owner-occupier I strongly object to the proposal for three weekly bin collections. Black bins will overflow, smell and attract flies and rats, especially in summer and for families with nappies. It will lead to more fly-tipping in our lanes. Keep fortnightly collections!
- C0038 · Open consultation, Stanmoor, Child under 3 or hygiene products, Owner-occupier Very negatively. A full bin at two weeks becomes an overflowing bin at three, and baby waste rotting in it would stink the whole house out and invite rats.
- C0041 · Open consultation, Brookfield, Neither, Owner-occupier I strongly object to the proposal for three weekly bin collections. Black bins will overflow, smell and attract flies and rats, especially in summer and for families with nappies. It will lead to more fly-tipping in our lanes. Keep fortnightly collections!
- C0047 · Open consultation, Brookfield, Neither, Owner-occupier i object to the proposal for 3-weekly bin collections. black bins will overflow, smell and attract flies and rats especially in summer and for families with nappies. it will lead to more flytipping in our lanes. keep fortnightly collections
- C0049 · Open consultation, Brookfield, Neither, Owner-occupier Our bin would be spilling over. It's close to full at the moment after a fortnight, and there are four of us adults here.
- C0050 · Open consultation, Brookfield, Child under 3 or hygiene products, Owner-occupier I strongly object to the proposal for three weekly bin collections. Black bins will overflow, smell and attract flies and rats, especially in summer and for families with nappies. It will lead to more fly-tipping in our lanes. Keep fortnightly collections!
The numeric questions every model answered
- What percentage of open-consultation respondents tend to oppose or strongly oppose collecting general waste every three weeks (Q2)?
- What percentage of residents' panel respondents tend to oppose or strongly oppose collecting general waste every three weeks (Q2)?
- What percentage of residents' panel respondents strongly support or tend to support collecting general waste every three weeks (Q2)?
- What is the 95% margin of error, in percentage points, on the share of residents' panel respondents who support the change (strongly or tend to)?
- On the residents' panel, is the difference in the share supporting the change (strongly or tend to) between owner-occupiers and renters statistically significant at the 95% level? (1 for yes, 0 for no)
- Among residents' panel respondents whose household includes a child under 3 or someone who uses continence or other hygiene products, what percentage chose 'every three weeks, with extra support for households that need it' as their preferred option (Q4)?
- How many of the open-text answers are copies or near-copies of the template comment circulated by a local group?
- How many of the open-text answers from residents' panel respondents mention hygiene: smell, flies, maggots or vermin, or nappies or hygiene waste sitting in the bin?
- As a percentage of all residents' panel respondents, how many oppose the change at Q2 and said they would support it if their household could have a larger bin at no extra charge (Q3)?
- What percentage of residents' panel respondents said they would be very or fairly likely to recycle more if general waste were collected every three weeks (Q5)?
- What percentage of the addresses invited by letter to the residents' panel produced a completed questionnaire?
What was planted in the data
What a careful analyst notices. The judges check each analysis against these.
- The open consultation is self-selected: anyone with the link could respond, Brookfield is 38% of it against 12% of households, and households with a young child or hygiene needs are over-represented. It shows 78% opposed, against 45% on the panel, which matches the district's age and tenure profile.
- 209 open-consultation comments (16% of the consultation's responses) are copies or near-copies of a template circulated by Keep Brookfield Tidy.
- The council leader wants to show that residents support the change. Support is 41% on the panel (with 45% opposed) and 15% in the open consultation.
- Q3 was asked only of those who oppose: 22% of panel opponents would support the change with a larger bin, which is only 10% of all panel respondents; most opponents would still oppose.
- Wendle Vale (panel base 16) shows 62% support, far above any other ward.
- On the panel, owner-occupiers support the change more than renters (43% against 37%, bases 282 and 140), but the gap is not statistically significant at 95%.
- 40% of the panel say they would be likely to recycle more: a stated intention about a hypothetical change.
- Only 422 of 2,000 addresses invited to the panel completed (about 21%); the panel is matched on age and tenure only, and those who replied may care more about bins than those who did not.
Key findings.
- Neither source shows majority support: the residents' panel is split (41% support, 45% oppose) and the open consultation is 78% opposed, so the claim that residents support the change does not hold
- The open consultation is self-selected and includes an organised campaign (209 template comments), so the panel is the better guide to district opinion, while the consultation shows the strength of feeling among those most engaged or affected
- Households with a child under 3 or someone who uses hygiene products oppose far more (74% against 41% on the panel) and 56% of them prefer the change with extra support for households that need it
A sound recommendation, in substance. There is no evidence of majority support, so do not go ahead district-wide on this evidence or tell full council that residents support it; if the savings are still needed, pilot three-weekly collection in some areas with extra support (larger bins or extra nappy and hygiene collections) for households that need it, and measure the results before deciding; report both sources honestly and separately.