Up to three of Cheshire East's seven household waste sites could close in the future, a council report has revealed.

The environment and communities committee will be asked on Thursday to give officers the go-ahead to draft a public consultation to go out next year asking the public for their views on a number of options.

The worst case scenario would see the borough left with just four main sites – meaning Poynton, Middlewich and Bollington would close.

The report states: "It is proposed to undertake a fresh public consultation exercise with a succinct list of options for consideration, with the underlying principle of these being affordable and hence deliverable if selected."

The council is looking at three possible options:

• retain service as is, with maintenance investment across all seven sites needed;
• reduce to six core existing sites, closing Poynton, with investment to modernise where required. Introduce extended mobile HWRC provision as mitigation;
• reduce to four core existing sites at Crewe, Macclesfield, Alsager and Knutsford with investment to modernise and extend where required. Introduce extended mobile HWRC provision.

The report also refers to a separate sub-option to all three core options presented, which would give consideration as to, if and when a new site has been developed at Congleton, then the existing Alsager site could close.

The consultation will run for a period of four to six weeks and is likely to start next March, although final details have to be confirmed.

The results of that consultation would then be reported back to the committee and considered as part of a recommendation on future household waste and recycling centre provision in the borough.

A procurement exercise, based on those same options, would also be undertaken to ensure continuity of HWRC service provision after the expiry of the current contract.

The council is likely to face a backlash from residents as this latest revelation comes on top of the decision to charge for garden waste collection from January. Residents who don't sign up to pay the annual £56 green bin charge may well opt to dispose of their garden waste at the local tip.

The environment and communities committee meeting takes place at 10am on Thursday, September 28, at the council's Westfields HQ at Sandbach.