Exclusive: A Melbourne community is being torn apart by the local council's divisive plan to slash red bin collection services from weekly to fortnightly next year.

Merri-bek City Council, about 5km from Melbourne CBD, has been rolling out changes to its kerbside bin services to cut costs for rate payers and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

The next big change is slated for July 2027, when Council plans to reduce rubbish collections to every two weeks.

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The council has been running a fortnightly collection trial in parts of Hadfield, Brunswick and Brunswick West, which it told nine.com.au has received "mixed reviews".

"Some have found the change challenging, while others have adjusted quickly," a Merri-bek City Council spokesperson said.

"Despite the mixed views, most households did manage to make the change."

The amount of waste sent to landfill was reduced by nearly 20 per cent in the six-month trial, or about three kilos per household each fortnight.

It also saved the council money.

If rolled out council-wide, the swap from weekly to fortnightly collections could save Merri-bek City Council more than $1 million based on the trial a spokesperson said.

They did not say how much ratepayers specifically would save.

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