HOUSEHOLD rubbish collections in the Basingstoke area would take place only once a fortnight instead of every week if a proposal being considered by borough chiefs gets the go-ahead.

The idea comes from the council's environment overview committee, which called for a report on recycling and composting from the head of streetcare.

A consultation paper on the subject has now gone out to all borough councillors and will be discussed at the committee meeting tomorrow.

But the proposal to switch household refuse collections from weekly to fortnightly has already been criticised by the Conservative shadow Cabinet member for environment, Cllr Phil Heath. He says the idea is driven by a lack of funds and the council's failure to hit recycling targets.

He told The Basingstoke Extra: "They are looking at trying to reduce wheelie bin collections of domestic rubbish from once a week to once a fortnight. At present, they collect the green bins containing recycled material every two weeks.

"Maybe they are thinking that if domestic rubbish is not collected every week, it will encourage people to sort out more for recycling."

He added: "The public will be very worried about having their bins full of smelly stuff for two weeks. It is going to cause people problems. Bins will be overflowing all over the borough."

However, Cabinet member for communities and regeneration, Cllr David Potter, said changing the collection rota is just one idea being considered.

He said: "The consultation paper is outlining a number of possibilities at this stage, regarding the way we can improve our recycling rates."

He added the issues surrounding waste collection and recycling were "complicated" and said that the council had to improve its recycling ratio.

"We are doing satisfactorily as present - but we need to do better," explained Cllr Potter.

"The experience elsewhere, where councils operate collections on alternate weeks, is there appears to be evidence that they get a better and more efficient regime.

"In terms of what people actually put into their recycling bin, the out-turn appears to be better. So I think we are obliged to look at it."

Cllr Potter pledged that there would be a "wide" consultation before any decision is announced.

He said: "We would have to be sure that we had widespread co-operation and support throughout the borough.

"I know people are resistant to change but if it was proven in terms of out-turn, producing better results, I hope they would back it."

Cllr Potter also rejected Cllr Heath's claim that any change in collections would happen because the council was "running out of money". "That is a scurrilous suggestion," he said.

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