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NOW BINS TO BE EMPTIED ONCE A MONTH

Household dustbin collections will be cut to once a month, an industry expert warned last night.

He said the move was “inevitable” to force people to recycle more.

The plans were immediately condemned by campaigners who said leaving rubbish to fester for up to four weeks is a health hazard.

Dorretta Cocks, the founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, described any plan to move to monthly pick-ups as “unbelievable”.

And Tory local government spokesman Eric Pickles said: “Under Labour you pay more council tax and get less. Cuts to weekly bin collections have already boosted vermin and, during the summer, uncollected rubbish will pose a serious health risk.”

The industry expert predicted collections would be cut to just 12 a year, as in Germany.

To make matters worse, it also emerged yesterday that householders could face £5,000 fines for preventing bin inspectors going through their rubbish.

The “draconian” sanction could be imposed using laws designed to combat terrorist threats and antisocial behaviour. Critics said the move was another strike at the heart of Britain’s civil liberties.

(Sunday Express)