Waste collection boost

It currently makes one collection a week for general domestic waste and one recycling collection every fortnight.

From January next year, there will be an additional weekly recycling service using blue-top bins, which will collects items such as cans, glass, card, paper and plastic.

The council is also introducing a weekly recycling service for garden and kitchen waste which will collect meat, vegetable scraps and teabags.

Unrecyclable materials including polystrene and cartons will be collected fortnightly and incinerated.

The council's move will only affect street-level properties with wheelie bins.

Residents had the opportunity to find out more about the new collections at the Avery Hill Get Together Event in Avery Hill Park, Bexley Road, Eltham, last Saturday.

A council spokesman said: "Blue-top bin recycling collections will be increased and collected weekly.

"We'll be introducing a weekly doorstep recycling collection of green and kitchen waste.

"Anything left over which can't be recycled, such as polystyrene and cartons, will be collected fortnightly.

"For families with young children, we're also looking at ways of collecting disposable nappies every week."

According to a study by the Local Government Association (LGA), councils with bin collections every alternate week have a recycling rate more than 30 per cent higher than those which do not.

The LGA is a voluntary lobbying organisation.

It exists to promote better local government.

The association says if the 30 per cent recycling rate was replicated across the country, council tax payers would save around £22m each year as landfill would be cut by 1.2 million tonnes.

Association chairman Lord Bruce-Lockhart said: "It is up to each council to decide which sort of approach is used to ensure residents do their bit for the environment and keep council tax as low as possible."

Residents who wish to order a blue-top bin can do so by calling 020 8921 4661.