FORTNIGHTLY bin collections have driven some householders to pay to have their bins emptied by private contractors.

Several private companies have moved to fill the gap caused by almost 180 councils ending their weekly collections. Householders pay the firms about £100 a year for rubbish to be removed every other week.

Chris Whyatt of Bin & Gone, based in North Yorkshire, has 2,000 customers and is signing up a dozen more a day. He plans to franchise the business and hopes to make the service available to all areas of the country with fortnightly collections by next Easter. Bin & Gone charges £1.73 a week.

“I think that within two to three years, councils will be offering to take rubbish, but you will also be able to get [a private contractor] to do it and the council tax payment will not be ring-fenced,” said Whyatt.

Public opposition to fortnightly bin rounds surfaced in the local elections in May, and more than 30 local authorities that had imposed them were toppled.

Both sides are becoming more confrontational. Attacks on bin-men are increasing, with 189 physical and verbal attacks last year, a near doubling over the previous year. Fly-tipping is also on the rise, with an increase in the number of incidents from 926,534 in 2004-05 to 2,509,976 in 2005-06.

Tracey North from Kidderminster has decided to pay Bin King, a West Midlands firm, £1.92 a week to take away her rubbish. “It just got really horrible, with maggots, flies and vermin. There are four of us in the house, with two children, so it was very difficult,” she said.

Under the 2003 Household Waste Recycling Act, councils must aim to offer all households a doorstep collection of at least two recyclable materials by 2010. Because of the expense, many have moved to fortnightly collections of general waste, picking up recycling the other week.

The private companies have been accused of allowing people to duck out of their recycling obligations, but they deny this. “We think that our recycling techniques will become the gold standard,” said Whyatt.

None of the larger waste disposal companies contacted by The Sunday Times - several of which carry out collections on behalf of councils - planned to contract privately with householders.

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