Southampton will lose a �420,000 grant if it fails to recycle enough

Some 26,000 homes in Southampton have ordinary waste picked up every other week and recyclables the next.

But on Wednesday, councillors voted to bring back weekly landfill collections.

Southampton Friends of the Earth handed in a 1,200-name petition against the decision, which they warn will be expensive and discourage recycling.

Council officials say the extra collection will cost �750,000 a year, including the cost of up to six new refuse lorries.

If normal waste is collected every week it has a serious knock on effect on recycling Kirsten Sontgens, Friends of the Earth

Conservative and Labour councillors voted together to defeat the Liberal Democrats, who wanted to keep the fortnightly scheme.

Adrian Vinson, the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, warned that the decision may mean the city falls short of recycling targets.

He has called another meeting of the full council to reconsider the decision.

Mr Vinson warns that Southampton will lose a �420,000 grant from central government if it fails to recycle enough waste.

Jill Baston, Liberal Democrat councillor with portfolio for the environment, who also voted against the decision, told BBC News Online: "All the evidence was in favour of alternate weekly collection - it is cheapest and delivers most recycling."

The city currently sends 90% of its waste to landfill sites

The Twinbin scheme started for 13,000 homes in Shirley, Basset and Swaythling in October 2003, then another 13,000 in Portswood in February 2004.

A recent MORI poll for the council found that 82% of people are satisfied with it.

Some 49,000 homes still have no doorstep recycling, although the council aims to begin the Twinbin fortnightly collections everywhere by September 2005.

Kirsten Sontgens, of Southampton Friends of the Earth, told BBC News Online: "If normal waste is collected every week it has a serious knock on effect on recycling, as there is much less incentive for people to bother."

"The MORI poll has shown people support bi-weekly recycling. It would be a scandal if councillors ignored the clear wishes of the people."

Homes in Southampton threw away more than 100,000 tonnes of rubbish last year, almost 90% of which went to landfill sites.