In support of the Conservatives' promise to restore weekly household-waste collections, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles declared last year, "It's a basic right of every English man to be able to bin the remnants of his chicken tikka masala without having to wait a fortnight for it to be collected."
However, in a massive U-turn, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman revealed that no financial incentives would be introduced to bring back weekly collections, offering only to help local authorities to bring in separate food waste pick ups on a weekly basis.
Spelman said that while the Tories had, in opposition, backed a return to weekly collections, the financial situation now made it too difficult.
The announcement came as a blow to households who have complained of odour and vermin attracted by leaving out bins for two weeks.
The strategy also raises concerns for waste experts and environmentalists who condemned the overall Government plans for cutting waste, pointing to the absence of any concrete measures or deadlines towards meeting the coalition's pledge of a zero-waste economy.
However, the waste review does uphold the Tories' promise to scrap fines for "trivial" errors such as putting rubbish in the wrong containers or leaving dustbins open
Ministers also promised "carrots not sticks", such as helping councils provide incentives for householders to recycle more, such as cut-price swimming tickets or coffee vouchers.
