RECYCLING dodgers are likely to be fined as part of Colchester’s waste shake up, rather than top performers being rewarded.

Colchester Council’s waste boss Dominic Graham (Lib Dem) has introduced plans for fortnightly collections, a limit on three black sacks per household and wheelie bins in certain areas of the borough.

No final decisions on the plans, which also include scrapping free refuse sacks for residents but maintaining a weekly food waste collection, are expected until well into next year.

Mr Graham was quizzed on the proposals at a meeting of the councils scrutiny panel and revealed fines were more likely to be introduced than incentives for top recyclers.

He said: “We recognise there is education which needs to increase but at the same time we need to give our excellent zone wardens need something to back up conversations they have and will have in the future with people who do not recycle.

“If they get the ‘so what’ reaction there has to be penalties.

“Incentives seem popular but the evidence said they do not work -they’ve been all but discarded in our plans.”

It emerged ward councillors would have a very large say into whether the areas they represent end up with wheelie bins, but no speakers at the meeting indicated they were strongly in favour of them.

Councillors from Highwoods, Prettygate, Berechurch and St Anne’s and St John’s wards all spoke against their introduction.

Mr Graham said: “Ward councillors know their areas much better than I do.

“If for example all three members from a ward were vociferous in the if opposition for wheelie bins it would be incredibly difficult for me to impose it anyway.

“We would go with their choice and they can answer to the electorate.

“If it goes against the figures they can put their reputations on the line.

“We know in places with terraced houses with no where to store them would be inappropriate.

“Places like the Dutch Quarter where there is no front garden to speak of and the doors open right out on the streets wouldn’t be practical - we are not daft.”

Mr Graham said it was unlikely households who do not get wheelie bins will have a reduced amount of council tax.

He said: “The way council tax works is we all pay a little bit so we can all benefit from the money.

“The benefit of wheelie bins will be fed back into the council.

“We are investing in what we hope to be the best performance for the council.”

But Mr Graham did not rule out adding more wheelie bins after the initial introduction if recycling levels rocketed.

He said: “We think this is a phased approach because it will go in where we think it has support, but then not ruling it out going to other areas in the future.

“Perhaps culture, behaviour will change and then support will change.

“That is not beyond the realms of fantasy.”

Mr Graham said he would also not be afraid to scrap the wheelie bins, if they were proven to not improve Colchester’s recycling levels.

He said: “I’m not wedded to a particular scheme - I will go with the numbers and the evidence.”

Some 2,600 residents were surveyed before the new plans, with critics saying it was not enough to base proposals on.

Mr Graham said: “The consultation was extensive, 2,600 is a significant response and we do not see that many usually at Colchester Council.

“The work is ongoing and this is a start of a process but numbers are indicative, not definitive.

“That is why we will consult carefully with ward councillors.

“There are perhaps anomalies.

“The amount of people who will respond negatively to change is significantly more than if they are positive for it.

“We are wary of the figures.

“If we had 400 responses per ward, that would have been definitive but it would have been astronomical in terms of costs.

“We asked a set of professionals to do the survey then if we are not going to trust them to do their work then what can we do?”

Mr Graham reiterated the council’s long-term strategy aim was to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill sites and aimed to do it by increasing the amount of recycling.

It was revealed plans were in place on how to allow exemptions on the three bag limit for houses with young children in nappies, producing medical waste or who had larger households.