A WINCHESTER City Councillor has been labelled "cynical" after suggesting residents will misuse their black bins.

Cllr Stephen Godfrey questioned Cllr Martin Tod on the new garden waste scheme, which will see green sacks replaced with a wheelie bin.

Householders can pay to opt-in to the scheme.

Cllr Godfrey asked: "What measures do you propose to take to prevent residents from putting garden waste in the black residuals bin when you introduce charging for the collection of garden waste later in this municipal year?”

But Cllr Tod, who has spearheaded the new scheme, responded: "Cllr Godfrey has too cynical a view of district residents. The evidence of the current system is that people are most likely to take waste that they do not put in sacks to Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).

"More garden waste is taken to HWRCs in our area than is collected in our sacks. We have also consciously modelled our proposed system on the top performing authority for garden waste collections in Hampshire."

The annual charge for the new scheme would be £39 for a 140-litre bin, or £59 for a 240-lire bin and households would be able to pay for more than one bin or share a bin.

Cllr Tod continued: "Our long-term goal is that we increase garden waste collections and cut waste in black residual bins with the new scheme.

"While there may a small decline during the transition, wheeled bins will be cleaner, have greater storage capacity and are easier and safer to move around.

"We will encourage people who live in smaller properties to share a bin and share the cost. Those residents who do not wish to do so will have a choice of composting garden waste themselves or taking it to a Household Waste Recycling Centre.

"During the transition, we will have very clear information about how to dispose of garden waste in the future."

The contractor will be checking the bins to ensure they do not have anything other than garden waste inside.