Five bins? Oh no, not another rubbish idea

Householders were hit by further confusion over bin collections last night after yet another suggestion was thrown into the existing chaos.

Will we get more bins Will we get more bins?

Families would be forced to sort their rubbish into five different bins under the latest proposal to boost recycling. [>

[>

There was fury as it was feared the move could lead to unfair fines for hard-pressed households.  [>

Labour should focus on binning plans to axe weekly rubbish collections and axe plans to introduce bin taxes, all of which will fuel a surge in flytipping

Shadow Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles

[>

Ministers were said to support the idea of different bins for glass, food, paper, plastic and other waste.  [>

[>

Different coloured sacks were apparently also suggested as another strategy to improve recycling rates. [>

[>

But critics said it would add to confusion and clutter for householders. [>

[>

There were also fears it could lead to residents being fined for accidentally putting things in the wrong container. [>

[>

A spokesman for Help the Aged said: “Common sense needs to be used. We don’t want people fined for using the wrong bin.” [>

[>

Councils are keen to boost recycling. A spokesman for the Local Govern-ment Association said: “If people are given more opportunities to recycle, all the evidence suggests that they do. Councils are increasingly looking at providing more extended recycling facilities and that could include more bins, for example for glass and paper. [>

[>

“Where it has happened it has been shown to increase recycling rates.” [>

[>

But having more than one rubbish bin would not be an option for many homes, such as flats. “It could only be introduced where there was sufficient space,” the spokesman said. The Government says Britain’s recycling rates must be increased dramatically to reduce the amount of rubbish dumped in landfill. [>

[>

New ways of boosting recycling are being explored ahead of the introduction of EU fines, which will penalise authorities according to the amount of rubbish they put in landfill – with those charges certain to feed into yet higher council tax. Schemes aimed at increasing recycling have included the introduction of “alternate week collections”, where normal waste is collected just once a fortnight and recyclable rubbish in the weeks in between. [>

[>

And the Government insists it is going ahead with schemes to charge residents according to the amount of rubbish they put out – with penalties for those who recycle least and rewards for those who recycle most – even though Gordon Brown reportedly opposes the idea. [>

[>

Ministers insist they do not plan to force councils to introduce charging schemes. But critics fear councils will feel they have no option.  [>

[>

Shadow Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles yesterday slammed multi-bin proposals. He said: “We need a cast iron guarantee from the Government that this new initiative won’t be an excuse to clobber people who put their rubbish in the wrong bin with extortionate fines.  [>

[>

“Labour should focus on binning plans to axe weekly rubbish collections and axe plans to introduce bin taxes, all of which will fuel a surge in flytipping.” [>

[>

But last night the Government denied it will force five bins on each household. Environment Minister Joan Ruddock said: “We don’t dictate to local authorities how many bins they should use.” [>

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?