New Forest District Council has confirmed when each area will be getting controversial wheelie bins.

The council is embarking on the multi-million-pound programme despite it generating a lot of controversy.

At present the local authority is the only one in Hampshire to still use rubbish bags.

As previously reported, the bin launch will be carried out in three phases during 2025/26 across the district with the first residents making the switch in June next year.

But at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, councillors agreed on the following timeline.

The areas of the district served by the Lymington depot will go live in June, followed by the Ringwood depot area in October before the final phase with the Totton/Hardley depot area starting in March 2026.

Cllr Geoffrey Blunden, portfolio holder for environment and sustainability, said the new service will meet the council’s environment and climate change objectives, increase recycling rates, reduce emissions and reduce the overall amount of general waste and littering from sacks.

Residents will have a new weekly food waste collection. Recycling and rubbish bins will be emptied on an alternate weekly basis. Glass collections will continue to take place every four weeks.

Cllr Jeremy Heron, portfolio holder for finance and corporate, said it was the 'most major change' he had seen since joining the council, when a recycling service did not even exist.

He said: “We have for a long time in the New Forest had a great hatred of wheelie bins wherever they have come up.

“The mere mention of them 10 years ago caused people to shudder and shake and cry in dark corners.

“As we have seen with the rollout of the green waste collection, this has been incredibly well received by our residents and I am confident although there will be an initial bedding in period when we start to do this, it will be equally as popular with our residents as they get used to the system.”

A report to cabinet said some flats may not be suitable for wheelie bins due to space constraints or may need bags while improvements are made to accommodate bins.

Dibden and Dibden Purlieu ward Liberal Democrat councillor Malcolm Wade asked if there would be an appeal system for circumstances where residents disagreed with the council over having wheelie bins.

A senior council officer confirmed this would be set up.