The Government announced its Waste Strategy yesterday as part of a large-scale attempt to reduce rubbish and encourage Britons to recycle and reuse.

One part of the strategy will see the introduction of a street collection service, with households encouraged to divide waste into five bins: paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and food.

Under the incentive scheme, set out by the Environment Secretary David Miliband, those who recycle could receive cash incentives, while those who don’t could face fines.

“We need to not only recycle and reuse waste, but also prevent it in the first place,” Miliband said in the House of Commons.

Local Authorities would be in charge of implementing and enforcing the plan. But critics have already voiced concerns that the incentive scheme would be unworkable, with people forced to padlock their dustbins (or take them with you wherever you go - see picture) to deter less conscientious neighbours from bin fiddling.

“Councils have argued for an urgent and radical overhaul of the amount of rubbish produced and the way in which it is thrown away, said Lord Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of the Local Government Association. “The Waste Strategy confirms that as a nation we need to radically cut waste but it leaves unanswered vital questions on how to actually do this.”

Other initiatives included in the report include a clamp down on excess packaging. Environment Minister Ben Bradshaw conceded yesterday that existing legislation is too weak, and that a tougher stance is required to reduce the five million tonnes of packaging discarded by Britons every year.