A scheme that has helped improve street cleanliness in central Bath could become permanent following positive results from a 12-month pilot.
Changes to business waste collections were introduced by Bath & North East Somerset Council in October 2025 to reduce the amount of waste left on streets during shop opening hours and early evenings, helping to keep the city centre attractive and welcoming.
The pilot collection arrangements require businesses within the area to put out bagged waste and recycling in the evenings during a collection window of 6 pm to 8.30 pm instead of 5 pm to 8.45 pm. They also need to use reusable, gull-proof bags and boxes, labelled with the business name. The morning collection window of 7.30 am to 10.00 am is unchanged.
Litter monitoring during the pilot showed an improvement compared to before the pilot launched, alongside significantly better compliance. Non-compliance fell from 92 instances in the first week to just three instances in the final week, once businesses had adjusted to the new arrangements. Only six Fixed Penalty Notices were issued during the pilot.
A report going before Councillor Mark Elliott, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for Resources, for a single member decision recommends making the pilot collection arrangements permanent.
Councillor Elliott said: “Our results show that the pilot has made a real difference to keeping Bath city centre cleaner and more welcoming for residents, visitors and businesses. We’re seeing better compliance, less enforcement needed and an improvement in litter levels.
“Thank you to local businesses for working with us and adapting to the arrangements while we consider whether the changes should become permanent.”
Read more about how the council manages business waste and recycling
