Shut your bin or it won't be collected

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

It claims many households have been forced to place rubbish in neighbours' bins to ensure it is collected.

The councils that refuse to empty waste, which include Ealing and Barnet, claim the rules will encourage residents to recycle more to cut down on the amount of waste put into general bins.

Councils are hoping to avoid huge European Union fines for missing recycling targets. If the UK fails to recycle 40 per cent of its waste by 2010 (the current rate is 31 per cent) the European Court of Justice could impose heavy penalties.

"You do want people to recycle more, and if you encourage people to leave their lids open then you invite maggots," said Paul Bettison of the Local Government Association's environment board.

"Plus, if wheelie bin lids are not shut, then they can be chewed up by the automatic lifting device."

However, campaigners claim the rules for rubbish collection were becoming too complex.

Christine Melsom, of the IsItFair council tax protest group, said: "They can't just not take the rubbish if the bid lid is a bit open - that's a ludicrous situation. The service is becoming very complicated. Ithink people are fed up with it all."

The study by the Times contacted the 50 largest councils in England and Wales, all London boroughs not in the 50 and several councils in the North-West that have recently implemented policies for overflowing bins - 71 in total.

A third said that bin lids must be closed before rubbish collectors will empty them. The survey also found that of the 53 councils that offer wheelie bin collections almost half would not empty bins with raised lids.

Many councils also refuse to collect "side waste" - sacks of rubbish left next to a wheelie bin. Some said that they treated this as fly-tipping, which is punishable with a fixed fine.

London's recycling performance has been described as a "national embarrassment" by green campaigners after a government league table found that Tower Hamlets has the worst record in the country.

It recycles 11.75 per cent of the rubbish it produces compared with a national average of 31 per cent.