Fears that bin collections in Bexley could be changed to three-weekly were quashed as councillors looked to shake up waste services to cut costs.

Recycling will be taken fortnightly as the council tries to get its recycling rates up and save money.

Households will also have two new wheelie bins – one for paper and cardboard and one for mixed recycling.

It comes after months of speculation that the council might take residual bin collections to three-weekly, which in other areas has driven up recycling rates.

More than 4,000 people responded to the council’s bin survey, the majority of which were sceptical about long gaps between rubbish being collected.

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Cllr Peter Craske, cabinet member for places, said: “The options were considered in much detail. Since 2007 the amount of material that can be recycled has grown and our current boxes are too small.

“Paper will be collected one week in a new bin and tin and plastic in the other bin on another week. It amends the service to alternate collections in bins that are double the size.

“There was a very clear view expressed on three-weekly collections and we will not be making that change. The decisions we are making tonight will keep us moving in the right way.”

If the bins were taken three-weekly it would have saved the council £1.2m by 2021, but the approved changes will still save £450,000 a year.

The contract with Serco is being extended by another 18 months despite concerns over previous poor performances.

Cllr Louie French said: “I am confident that cabinet and scrutiny colleagues will ensure that Serco’s performance improves as it evidently needs to. They must keep a lid on the number of complaints we receive as councillors.”

A cabinet meeting on Monday was told Brexit could impact the council’s investment on the new bins, which could be coming in from Germany

The new bins could be delayed at ports should Britain leave with no deal, and there could be price increases in the event tariffs are hiked.