HOUSEHOLDS could soon be able to throw all their recycling into one bin as part of a major shake-up of Oxford’s waste collection rounds.

People will no longer have to separate their recycling into blue and green boxes from October.

Instead, all recyclable material – including glass, paper, tins, plastic and cardboard – would be collected from a single blue wheelie bin, or blue box, under plans by the city council’s ruling Labour group.

Every house in the city would be given the option of having a 140-litre blue bin to sit alongside existing green wheelie bins, in which non-recyclable waste is collected.

But those who want to continue using small blue boxes can do so.

They will be emptied fortnightly.

In addition, all homes will be given a plastic food caddy in which kitchen food waste will be collected weekly.

Garden waste will continue be collected from green sacks on a fortnightly basis. And houses will continue to have a green wheelie bin for non-recyclable waste.

It is not known what will happen to the current blue and green boxes once they are replaced.

City councillor John Tanner, executive member for a cleaner, greener city, said: “This is quite a shake-up.

“We were one of the first councils to get into recycling, we have been reviewing the way we recycle and have now come up with a scheme which is best for the environment and best for the householder.

“The big difference is that we will be phasing out the green box in which people put newspapers and glass bottles.

“At the moment we sell these to companies who then recycle them.

“What we are proposing is that all recycling will go into a blue bin – and we will pay a company to recycle that for us. It seems best to make the scheme simpler.”

He added: “It will also be better for the environment because there will be fewer lorries driving around the city.

“This is the next step for recycling in Oxford – and hopefully we will do as well as other councils in Oxfordshire.”

It is not yet known how much the changes will cost.

In March, the city council is set to reveal whether a private company has won the contract to collect the city’s waste from October, or whether the arrangements will remain in-house.

What is certain is the new arrangements will see every home given containers in which to throw food waste after a scheme in East Oxford, which started on December 7, proved an instant success, with an average of 16 tonnes collected each week.

City council leader Bob Price said: “This is all about making recycling easier and increasing our recycling rates.

“It will be a much more understandable scheme and make it clear that if it is not food waste or non-recyclable material then it has to go into the blue bin.”

Annie Skinner, of the pressure group Collect Refuse in Oxford Weekly, said: “It’s hard to keep up with all the changes that keep being introduced, but if it makes it simpler for people then it has to be a good thing.

“We keep on spending money on different systems – could we not spend it on introducing weekly waste collections?”