PLANS to increase recycling in Ealing by introducing wheelie bins and switching to alternate weekly collections of refuse and recycling were approved last night.

They went before the council’s cabinet and are expected to be introduced in late spring 2016.

The new service is expected to help the borough 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 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.

The new system is also expected to considerably reduce the amount of rubbish on the streets caused by black sacks being torn open by foxes and vermin.

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.

People 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.

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