A NEW RECYCLING bin for food scraps could be handed out to homeowners and garden waste picked up every two weeks, amid plans to overhaul collections.

Homes in Basildon will receive a new, smaller box for food waste, which will be separate from garden rubbish across the borough, if plans are given the green light next week.

However a move to collect garden waste every two weeks instead of weekly, could leave wheelie bins “out of control” and lead to flytipping, residents fear.

Food waste will remain as a weekly collection, but the plans could see garden waste collections suspended from between December and February, apart from Christmas tree collections.

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The separation will cost Basildon Council an extra £688,000 a year.

Mike Andrews, 72, vice-chair of the Billericay Residents Association, raised major concerns over the fortnightly collections.

He said: “Most weeks, the wheelie bins are full, with garden waste sticking out of the top.

“If it’s moved to fortnightly, it could get out of control.

“I hope we don’t see it, but we may see garden waste flytipped because there isn’t enough space in the bins.”

A consultation into the prospect of separating waste collections recently concluded.

It said “some residents are concerned by the size of containers” and “residents are strongly against charging for garden waste collections”, council documents read.

Malcolm Buckley, Tory councillor of the Wickford Castledon ward, and Essex County Council councillor in charge of waste, said: “The cost will be offset by the savings we make in efficiency.

“The extra cost is mostly coming from the decision to collect the waste with electric vehicles.

“We’ve separated the collections as the firms responsible for separating them are about to stop doing it.

“The Government is also asking for more consistency across the country.

“It will make the service more efficient.”

Basildon councillors are set to approve the proposals next Thursday.