The large refuse bins are not big enough for some Southall residents. Imagine their surprise when next year the weekly refuse collection becomes a fortnightly collection. Where will residents put their refuse?

Currently the large refuse bins are emptied every week. From next year they will be emptied every 2 weeks. Residents who currently fill their bins will have to half their refuse generation or get rid of it by other means.

Ealing Councillors are expecting residents to reduce their refuse by doing a lot more recycling.

Ealing Council’s cabinet has agreed proposals to increase recycling in the borough by introducing wheelie bins and switching to alternate weekly collections of refuse and recycling.

The plans were approved by the council’s cabinet on Tuesday, 16 June 2015 and are expected to be introduced in late spring 2016.

The new simpler mixed recycling service is expected to make it easier for people to recycle and help the council reach its target of recycling 50% of household waste by 2018.

Most households that currently have the doorstep refuse and recycling service will be given two wheelie bins – one for refuse which is currently disposed of in black sacks, and one for mixed recycling.

With the exception of food waste, residents will no longer be required to sort recycling into separate containers, but place it all in one wheelie bin which will be collected fortnightly. The other wheelie bin for refuse will also be collected fortnightly on the week in-between recycling collections. Food waste will continue to be collected from the food waste bins every week.

Similar systems have been introduced in many other parts of the country, including in the neighbouring boroughs of Brent and Harrow, who have seen recycling rates rise by 12% and 22% respectively following the switch.

As well as improving recycling rates, the new system is expected to considerably reduce the amount of rubbish on the streets caused by black sacks being torn open by foxes and vermin.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport, environment and leisure, said: "We currently spend an enormous £10 million a year sending waste to landfill, but research shows that two thirds of the contents of black sacks could be recycled. Not only is that bad for the environment, but an enormous waste of money and the costs of sending waste to landfill are only expected to rise. I’m pleased we’ve agreed these plans to make recycling easier because we must make fundamental changes to the system if we are going to further increase recycling rates."

Properties on red routes will continue to use black sacks for rubbish and their usual clear sacks for recycling. Those in flats who have a bulky or paladin bin for communal recycling or refuse will have no change.

Residents in Southall who already have wheelie bins will receive an additional one for their recycling. There is a European-wide target to ensure half of household waste is recycled by 2020.

The council will assess properties which it feels are not suitable for a wheelie bin and provide the same service offered to homes on red routes.