Households across Oxford are bracing themselves for more disruption as waste collection dates change next month.

And Oxford City Council tonight apologised for the confusion that is expected to ensue.

The shake-up is needed because waste rounds are too complicated and inefficient, it claimed.

From October 27, the city will be split into two, with rubbish bin collection taking place one week in the north and recycling in the south — and swapping the week after.

Collection days for most households will change.

Households will be notified of the changes in a letter to be sent out at the end of the month. City councillor John Tanner, the man overseeing Oxford's waste collection service, said the current system involved bin lorries making wasteful journeys across the city. He insisted the new plans would save £200,000 a year.

He said: "I want to say sorry but we are going to change bins days.

"I think all of us hate having our bin days changed. It's the one point of contact the council has with the public.

"But at the moment, we have got a higgledy-piggledy mess that we inherited from the previous Liberal Democrat council, with lorries moving across the city in a very inefficient way.

"So changing the day of collection is very important to us.

"This new system will simplify the collection system."

The council is also removing one waste collection team from the streets, saving £150,000 per year.

Mr Tanner said: "One of the advantages will be that if a crew can't complete on time because it is full, or because of staff sickness, then there will be another crew operating in their part of the city that can finish it off.

"What we are seeing now is crews being sent from areas like Blackbird Leys to Wolvercote if this happens."

Fortnightly rubbish collections were first introduced in Oxford in November 2006, with general household waste collected one week and recyclable material the next.

Mr Tanner said the new system would put Oxford in a better position for when new waste collection services — including food waste — come into place in the future.

He added: "We are also doing it in such a way so as to have minimum impact on people, so that they are not waiting too long for refuse and recycling to be collected."

David Rundle, leader of the Liberal Democrat group said: "It's going to be a hell of a change for a lot of people in the short term.

"This is about more than making financial savings. It's also about improving recycling needs, building on the success we have had and moving on to the next phase."

Green councillor Craig Simmons said: "What we have got at the moment is a bit of a shocker.

"It's an inefficient use of vehicles and you question why it was implemented in that way in the first place."