NEW wheelie bins designed to lift Brighton and Hove’s woeful recycling record may not be rolled out for some of the city’s most enthusiastic environmentalists living in densely packed streets.

Brighton and Hove City Council will not be extending the recycling scheme into Hanover and Elm Grove until further assessment and potentially a public consultation because of the lack of space to store the 240 litre bins.

Many homes in the area, dubbed Muesli mountain and a Green stronghold, are without gardens and are fronted by small pavements which could be blocked by larger bins.

A trial of the scheme in 4,000 homes, which saw homes recycle 1kg more waste, was carried out in Hangleton and Portslade where a higher proportion of homes have space at the front or rear of properties to store the bins.

In response to complaints about the bins’ size, “unsightly” appearance and hazards to pedestrians, Conservative Cllr Robert Nemeth completed a shift on a collection round.

Cllr Nemeth said: “I couldn’t think of a better way to see how the new system is going than to roll my sleeves up and get to work. I’ve received lots of complaints from residents but I also wanted to see how the new bins are for those who have the tough job of actually emptying them.”

The council is halfway through its delivery of bins to half the city’s homes. Preston Park residents are the latest recipients with a final phase to include Moulsecoomb, Bevendean, Hollingdean and Stanmer.

Residents hoping the scheme would mean an increase in the range of materials accepted are set to be disappointed with officials confirming no changes are planned currently. Glass still has to be stored in a separate box, unlike in neighbouring local authority areas.

The Bins in Hanover community group said a great level of distrust remained from having communal bins imposed on them.

A spokesman said: “Our 17 local ward team members unanimously think the proposed new recycling bins are likely to be disproportionally large for the narrow streets and pavements in Hanover and Elm Grove.

“We look forward to a fair and honest consultation from the council if they deem larger recycling bins are appropriate and effective.”

A council spokeswoman said: “The last phase also includes Hanover and Elm Grove but this is an area we will not to be rolling out to until further assessment has been made and potentially a consultation as we know there may be many issues in these highly populated roads.”