FAMILIES disposing of nappies will be able to request more frequent collections during a trial of three-weekly brown bin rounds.

A revised weekly recycling and waste service will be piloted in two areas of St Helens town centre from February 2019.

A scrutiny review into the plans earlier this year recommended the council look at the possibility of introducing an opt-in service to enable a more frequent collection of clinical waste and nappies.

In the cabinet’s response to the review, it says more frequent collection of nappy waste and other absorbent hygiene products, such as incontinence pads, will form part of the trial.

This was confirmed this week by Paul McHenry, the council’s service manager for environmental and transport services.

He was invited to the council’s environment, regeneration, housing, culture and leisure overview and scrutiny panel to discuss the plans.

Mr McHenry said if households have an issue with the amount of nappy waste that is produced, whether from young children or adults, then the council will look to see if more frequent collections are needed.

Mr McHenry said: “Where there are cases like that, rather than there being if you like, one for all, we’ll take those as individual cases and if people need a more frequent collection we’ll provide that.”

He added: “What we’re trying to say here in the brief response in the report is where families have issues, where there are several young children or people with incontinence issues, we’ll deal with those on a case by case basis.”

Town Centre ward councillor Lynn Clarke, portfolio holder for waste services, told the panel that families will also be able to request an additional brown bin, marked with a red top, if they require one.

She said: “What we’ve looked at is anybody that requires an additional bin, that’s the one with the red lid, then they can contact us, and we’ll look at it on an individual basis and they can have another one, it’s as simple as that really.

“So, there shouldn’t be an issue for families with over seven members or with children in nappies.”

Cllr Clarke also revealed the council is set to launch a new promotion in December to encourage recycling of food waste, which will continue to be collected weekly during the pilot.

Residents will receive a food caddy, roll-on bin liners and leaflets promoting the benefits of recycling food waste and stickers for the bins.

The Labour councillor said if food waste is bagged securely and is continued to be collected weekly there “should not be a health risk at all”.

Cllr Clarke said residents can have as many recycling food waste bins as they require, within reason.