Call for action on rubbish rules

An environmental group has called for a a standardised system for rubbish collection to avoid confusing residents.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) cite Southgate Road in north London as an example because the road straddles Hackney and Islington councils.

Rubbish is collected on five days which the group believes can lead to "potential confusion".

But both north London councils said they have not received any complaints.

'Clearer guidance'

Greg Foxsmith from Islington Council said: "If you are a resident living on the Islington side we think we've made the system quite simple."

Alan Laing of Hackney Council said: "It isn't a complicated scheme which may be why our recycling levels have increased massively over the last few years."

In Hackney, blue, green and black bins are collected on Thursday, while brown bins are emptied every other Tuesday.

In Islington green and brown bins are collected on Friday while rubbish from flats above shops is collected on Monday and Saturday.

A spokesman from FoE said: "We are calling on the government to give council's clearer guidance on the best systems to use for collecting recycling."