Government 'to cut number of wheelie bins' as part of new waste strategy

Proposals to reduce the number of wheelie bins are to be announced by the Government today.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman will reveal the results of a review of England's waste strategy which is also expected to call for a major reduction in the packaging of household appliances and toys.

The review was ordered last month by Ms Spelman who said there was a need to go further and faster in boosting recycling rates and that driving forward a "zero-waste society" would save money and create green jobs and industry.

It is expected to make suggestions on issues such as processing recyclable rubbish rather than sending it abroad and provide clearer labelling of what can be recycled.

The wholesale review came after the Government announced it was scrapping the previous Labour government's "pay as you throw" pilot to cut waste, which allowed councils to reward households which reduced waste and penalised those who threw away more.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the review will examine how councils can cut down on the number of recycling boxes and wheelie bins if they clog up pavements and alleyways.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "The comprehensive review of the Government's waste policies will look at how we can make it easier for people to cut the amount of waste going to landfill and to recycle more.

"It will consider how waste policies affect local communities, individual households and businesses and what can be done to address problems identified."