Five different contracts were involved in Thanet's waste service

Thanet is also taking street cleaning back in-house after years of complaints about litter from residents.

The council previously had five separate waste and recycling contracts.

Council leader Sandy Ezekiel said: "We had umpteen complaints about waste and recycling so we decided the best thing to do was bring it back in-house."

'Terrific workforce'

The council has spent �1.8m on 14 new dustcarts which will take to the streets from 3 April.

"We have a terrific workforce who are so enthusiastic about the change," said Mr Ezekiel.

"What people have been complaining about most is litter and I think we will see an end to the majority of that."

He said he thought the council would also save money, although that was not the main thrust of the change.

"I believe we will save money because we will hit our recycling targets," he said.

"If we don't hit the targets the residents of Thanet will face severe penalties from the government."