Bin collection shake-up expected

LONDON (Reuters) - More homes could soon see the end of weekly bin collections, after government research said there would be no hygiene problems if rubbish was well wrapped.

Many councils in England and Wales already collect general waste fortnightly, with many picking up recyclable rubbish on alternate weeks.

The government stressed the move would encourage householders to recycle more but said it would not tell local authorities what to do.

Environment minister Ben Bradshaw said pilot schemes had revealed an increase in the amount of recycling.

"The research shows that alternate week collections work best when the public are informed well in advance of any change."

He hailed recycling as a "major part of our battle against climate change".

Recycling household waste, he said, was "the equivalent of taking 3.5 million cars off the road".

But some residents in areas where rubbish is collected fortnightly have complained of more rodents and odours.

Eric Pickles, the Conservative local government spokesman, told the Daily Telegraph most people still favoured weekly collections.  Continued...