'Bugged bins have no place in Bognor'

Cllr Paul Wotherspoon, who took charge of Arun District Council's refuse service in last month's elections, said the devices to weigh the amount residents threw away and charge them would not be used locally.

He also dismissed the prospect that any other pay as you throw scheme '“ or fortnightly waste collections '“ could be introduced in line with the latest plans by the government.

The current service would prevail for the foreseeable future, stated Cllr Wotherspoon, who is Arun's cabinet member for the environment.

One of the biggest reasons for his confident stand lies in the whole-hearted way residents have taken to doorstep recycling.

Almost nine out of ten households put out their papers and plastics to make the district one of the best in the country for recycling.

Cllr Wotherspoon (Middleton) said: 'While we welcome the idea of encouraging reuse and recycling, we are happy with the way waste is collected and recycled in Arun and will not be changing anything.

'More than 85 per cent of our residents use and support the household recycling services provided, which is very high when compared to national figures.

'When it comes to further reducing waste and increasing recycling rates in Arun, our preferred approach remains firmly in education.'

Working with refuse collection contractor Verdant, the council carries out more than 5.25m refuse and recycling collections each year. Performance figures show more than 99.9pc are got right first time.