CITY residents are backing the abolition of weekly household waste pick-ups, a top York councillor claimed today - as he unveiled a budget plan banking on a 50 per cent increase in recycling.

Coun Andrew Waller, City of York Council's environment boss, said homeowners were "playing their part" in making the twin-bin system a success with the scheme being run "smoother than in other council areas".

Coun Waller said the tonnages being collected and diverted from landfill sites showed there was support for the controversial project, with council bosses "grateful" for the participation of residents.

Now his £12.6 million environment and sustainability budget for 2006/2007 sets a target recycling rate of 36 per cent - or 37,540 tonnes - a 50 per cent increase on the current 24 per cent recycling collection rate.

"This will result from running the new alternate weekly collections for a full year, with plastic bottles and cardboard being introduced to the green box collection scheme, and improved recycling tonnages from the Household Waste Recycling sites," he said.

Coun Waller said efforts to minimise the growth in the annual increase of waste had paid off, but city residents would receive further help to manage their waste.

The Evening Press has campaigned for the retention of weekly household waste pick-ups which were scrapped in October - and more than 7,000 people have signed a petition backing our stance.

Coun Waller said the council will save £359,000 when the twin bin system resumes in March, with the authority also saving more than £200,000 in landfill payments.

The budget plan also revealed that:

About four people in the environment department will be made redundant
A £5 charge could be introduced for the collection of refrigerators
Crematorium fees will be increased by £30, or 6.5 per cent.

Coun Waller said: "The council has received a very hard grant settlement from Government, which even they acknowledge is £1.25 million less than we need.

"This has resulted in some hard choices having to be made. These include reducing staffing in some areas of the environmental services team, which I recognise will put pressure on the remaining staff in these services."

The proposals, which also include a £10,000 reduction in the flooding budget, will go before councillors on the environment and sustainability advisory panel on January 11.