New proposals to increase the amount of household waste being recycled have been unveiled by the Government today.

Under the plans, councils may be required to collect rubbish and recycling at least once a fortnight, although the Government has yet to assess if this proposal is affordable.

Ministers are also considering providing every household with a weekly food waste collection from 2023 and free garden waste collections for every home.

Environment secretary George Eustice said: 'Householders want more frequent recycling collections.

'Regular food and garden waste collections will ensure that they can get rid of their rubbish faster, at no additional cost to them.

'Our proposals will boost recycling rates and ensure that less rubbish is condemned to landfill.'

But environment spokesperson for the Local Government Association, Cllr David Renard, said councils 'should be able to decide locally on how recycling and household waste is collected and what works for their residents'.

The Government said councils would receive extra funding to implement any changes, partly funded by the packaging sector.