More than half of councils now collect domestic rubbish once a fortnight Plans to force councils in England to bring back weekly bin collections are to be dropped, the BBC understands.
It is thought ministers were told the cost of the pledge, made in the Conservative’s manifesto, would be around £100m a year.
The government is instead expected to focus on ways of making England a “zero waste” country.
Councils’ rights to fine people for minor domestic waste offences are also set to be abolished.
More than half of councils now collect domestic rubbish once a fortnight.
Some authorities say weekly collections work best, while others argue that the “alternate weekly collection” of different types of waste is the most effective way to increase recycling.
However, the BBC understands that once councils told ministers the £100 million a year cost of reintroducing weekly bin collections would have to be met by central government, the ideas was shelved.
Instead, the government’s waste strategy document offers up for consultation ideas to help England be smarter with its waste.
The government will work with the hospitality industry to try to reduce food waste and with the toy industry to cut excessive packaging.
Fixed penalty
Tougher targets for recycling aluminium will be proposed and there will be a ban on wood going to landfill from homes or industry – with it being burned for energy instead.
Householders currently can be punished for such actions as leaving dustbin lids open and using the wrong bin.
But ministers are promising to focus on the most serious rule-breakers, such as fly-tippers or those who allow vast amounts of rubbish to pile up.
At the moment, people can be given a fixed-penalty notice of up to £110 if they repeatedly break the rules governing rubbish collections, such as recycling incorrectly or leaving waste out on the wrong day.
A failure to pay can leave households facing court fines of £1,000.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman will outline the government’s plans to MPs at 0930 BST.
The government is expected to remove most of those powers from English councils following a promise last year to scrap them.
It is expected that town halls will be able to issue fixed-penalty notices only to people who allow rubbish to pile up, or those who fly-tip.
A Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: “We need the right polices to help communities and businesses reduce waste and increase recycling.”
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