FOOD waste could be collected weekly and every household would be able to recycle the same rubbish under Government plans.

City of York Council leaders welcomed the proposals but said funding would have to come from central government to put the plans into action.

The Department for the Environment wants household recycling policies - which vary from council to council - to become more consistent, with glass bottles and containers, paper and card, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and steel and aluminium tins and cans collected from all homes. The colours of bins could also be standardised. And by 2023 every council could have to provide a weekly food waste bin collection.

But York council leader Ian Gillies said local authorities would need extra funding to pay for the service.

He said: “It’s something we would always consider depending on funding streams. We would support it but it would have to be funded by central government.”

Under the plans packaging producers would pay the cost of dealing with their waste. And a deposit return scheme could be launched for drinks bottles and cans, as well as a tax on plastic packaging that contains less than 30 per cent recycled content.

Cllr Andrew Waller, executive member for the environment, said: “I have long made the case for retailers and producers to be more responsible to picking up the costs of recycling packaging pushed onto consumers – rather than it offloaded to councils.

“There are some positive signs, and it remains to be seen if government promises on funding are delivered, otherwise it is yet another cost on council tax. We want to recycle more in York, and if the government does ban non-recyclable packaging, then that would go a long way to help.

“With the council planning to replace the fleet of vehicles to collect waste and recycling, it is vital that the government is clear about what it is going to do, so that we can plan ahead.”