HOMES in York may be balloted on whether they want new wheelie bins in their streets.

A little over half of the 10,000 terraced homes in York which currently have their rubbish collected in black sacks could get wheelie bins, a senior councillor was told yesterday, but residents would have to be consulted and vote to accept the new wheelie bins on their street, before they could be brought in.

Cllr Andrew Waller, who is responsible for environment and waste policy at City of York Council, was given a report on bins and recycling by the head of operations Russell Stone.

The councillor agreed the wheelie bins plan, saying it would be up to residents to put their streets forward for the change.

He also agreed a plan for more campaigns to encourage people in “low performing” areas like flat blocks to recycle more, and for a review of “bring sites” – recycling bins in car parks and at supermarkets.

Cllr Waller has said he wants to see the city recycle half of all its waste.

At yesterday’s meeting he added: “If we recycled all of the glass bottles, paper and cans that go into black rubbish bins in York that would get us a sizeable way towards the 50 percent target that I would like to see achieved, and that would save the council £500,000 in landfill taxes.”

However suggestions of a “reuse centre” for furniture and white goods did not get much support, with the councillor saying that while the model worked in Leeds, York already has initiatives like the Community Furniture Store which sell second-hand goods and help people setting up home on a budget.

There was also no move to extend the kinds of plastic which can be recycled in York, something Mr Stone said was down to the low price of oil encouraging producers to use raw materials rather than recycled.

Similarly, proposals for mixed or “co-mingled” recycling bins were rejected, but staff did get the go ahead to look for replacement recycling lorries for the city.

The proportion of rubbish being recycled in York has declined since 2011/12 from a peak of 46.5 percent to 44.11 percent now, and Cllr Waller has asked for monthly monitoring in a big to improve those figures.