WE don’t want wheelie bins. That was the overwhelming consensus when Colchester Council yesterday put its plans to review waste and recycling collections before a public gathering for the first time.

Large plastic bins for both household and garden waste are included in only one of four options under consideration in a consultation on ways to increase recycling rates.

But the prospect of their introduction dominated the debate at a meeting attended by about 60 people at the Moot Hall, in High Street.

Norman Bailey, 75, of Cambridge Road, summed up the mood.

He said: “I’m not that concerned about all the different permutations of the council’s plans, but I don’t want a wheelie bin. I came along specifically to say that.

“They’ve got them in Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds, and it’s a mess.”

Besides their appearance, arguments against wheelie bins include the probable £1.1million cost of giving two – one for general rubbish and another for garden waste – to each of Colchester’s 71,000 households.

Residents in thousands of terraced homes would have to keep them permanently in their small front gardens, and some people, in areas like New Town and the Dutch Quarter, would have nowhere at all to put them.

In view of this, councillors admit a dual system – with some areas keeping the current black sacks and white bags – would be needed.

However, all the bin lorries would still have to be adapted with electric lifts to empty the contents of the bins.

Elderly people might find them difficult to wheel out to the garden gate.

And for the thousands of non-recyclers, whom the council seeks to convert, providing a capacious receptacle to cram with black sacks hardly seems the right incentive. On the other hand, 18 out of the 20 councils with the best recycling rates in the country do use wheelie bins.

Another potential advantage for the council – although it may displease some residents – is that bosses propose not to distribute liners for the bins.

The current cost of giving out black sacks and clear plastic bags for recycling is £250,000 a year.

Conservative Great Tey councillor, Peter Chillingworth, told the meeting he believed it was right to include all options in the consultation.

He said: “If people don’t think they are right, they should make that point to us.”

The council’s task and finish group, which has helped come up with the four options, was keen to stress at the meeting the council has not made up its mind, and genuinely wants to know which of four proposals residents think is best.

Christopher Arnold, Conservative councillor for Fordham and Stour, said: “Whenever a change is made to the service, it is very hard to get people’s attention and get them to make a change.

“If we’re going to get them to make a change, we’ve got to take as many people with us as we possibly can.

“Trying to impose our views on the people of Colchester would actually be counter-productive.”

Weekly food waste collections are a feature of all four options, and that is bound to cause concerns from householders who blanch at the idea of scraping old meat and leftovers into plastic tubs and adding to their contents over a period of seven days, especially during the summer. But the councillors were adamant taking old food out of black sack collections is the easiest way of recycling more, and helping to avoid the huge landfill charges and fines which cost Essex millions of pounds.

Another plus point is gases generated when the material is composted can be used as fuel.

Mr Arnold added: “By collecting food waste separately, we can not only remove it from landfill but put it to a better use.”

l To take part in the waste consultation see the council’s website at www.colchester.gov.uk