'We don't want four new wheelie bins' say some households in Milton Keynes

With less than five months to go before the roll out of the city’s grand new wheelie bin scheme, a growing number residents have applied to opt out and have coloured sacks instead.

The new service is due to start from September 4 and will involve each household being supplied with four bins.

There will be the standard green wheelie bin for food and garden waste plus three new 180 litre bins with different coloured lids.

The black lidded bin will be for rubbish you would usually put in your black sack, while the red one is for cardboard and paper and the blue bin is for plastic, metal and glass.

There will also be a small yellow battery bag, which should be placed on the green wheelie bin when it’s full.

Food and non-recyclable waste will continue to be collected weekly but the red and blue recycling bins will be collected on alternate weeks.

MK City Council says the bins provide “more than enough space” for an average household’s rubbish. But the question is – does the average household have the space for the plethora of bins?

All ‘street level’ properties will receive the new bins unless there are special reasons to be excluded, says the council. Flats and properties where there is not enough room will be provided with the relevant colour sacks instead.

Residents can use a special online postcode checker to check whether they’ve been assessed as fit for bins or sacks.

And, if they’ve been allocated bins but are not happy, they can fill in a form asking asking for an exemption. Council officials will then visit their home over the few months make a final decision.

Eligibility for a review is based on specific criteria around storage space and access; residents can’t request a review based on personal preferences for bins or sacks,” said a council spokesman.

Residents who have a disability or medical condition also apply for an assisted collection.. This is where the waste crew will collect waste from just outside a person’s front door instead of at the kerbside.

While many people are in favour of the wheelie bins, saying they’re cleaner and greener than black sacks, a growing number of residents are contacting the Citizen to complain.

"I’m trying to opt out,” said one. “I live in a terraced house with a small garden the the prospect of having to lug four large wheelie bins right through my house is just ridiculous.”

Another said: “I’m a pensioner and not strong enough to heave these huge bins through my garden, out on the kerb. I want the sacks instead.”

Other people without front gardens fear pavements will be blocked with the large number of bins on collection days.

Meanwhile, some residents say they resent having clean the food waste bin or buy compostable liners, which sell for around £1 apiece.

The council has confirmed that standard black sacks cannot be placed in a green bin – and compostable liners will not be provided.

"To reduce the need for cleaning, it is best to wrap all food waste in newspaper or a compostable liner and put your bin out for collection each week,” said the council spokesman.