BINS BACKLASH; Ministers' secret polls show bin fury.

Byline: JAMES LYONS 

PUBLIC outrage at cuts in household rubbish collections was revealed in secret research by ministers.

The poll uncovered a backlash against town hall "bin bullies" and huge opposition to the move from weekly to fortnightly services.

Government quango WRAP presented the findings in a closed session at a "bin summit".

The organisation, set up to promote recycling, has been accused of forcing councils to slash refuse collections.

Research commissioned at taxpayers' expense showed "regular and frequent" collections were the priority for 63 per cent of 2,000 households.

The result was revealed in a Parliamentary answer slipped out to MPs before they went on their summer break. In separate focus group studies as part of the main poll, two in five said frequent collections were most important - double the number concerned about recycling.

Eight in 10 who had weekly collections were satisfied with the service, compared with less than two-thirds of those whose rubbish was removed fortnightly. Householders were worried about "storage or hygiene problems".

There was also concern at restrictions on bin size, bans on putting out black bags next to bins and the number of containers needed to separate recycling from rubbish.

The findings reflect the Government's Place Survey on attitudes to town hall services.

The top 20 local authorities for refuse collection all take trash away every week, while the bottom 20 only hold rounds once a fortnight. Shadow Communities Secretary Caroline Spelman, who unearthed the WRAP findings, said: "There is overwhelming evidence of public opposition to Labour's bin bully policies.

"It is no surprise ministers have tried to hide this secret polling as it exposes the deep unpopularity of cuts to weekly collections and restricting the scope of bin collections."

Environment Minister Dan Norris admitted people "quite rightly expect their waste collection to be at regular intervals". He insisted most residents were happy with collections as they are, but said they should be properly warned of any changes.

"We have never instructed local authorities to change to alternative weekly collections," he said. "It's entirely a matter for them to decide what best meets their local needs."

8 IN 10 who had weekly bin pick-ups were satisfied with their service compared to less than two thirds of those on fortnightly collections

CAPTION(S):

CHOICE Residents prefer weekly collections