BRADFORD Council could cut bin collections from weekly to fortnightly to save cash, senior councillors have revealed.

Councillor Imran Khan, executive member for environment, sport and sustainability, said the move could save the authority £1.5 million a year by collecting general waste and recycling waste on alternate weeks.

He said: "We are considering changing collections to alternate weeks. That means that one week, we will collect general waste going to landfill or incineration, then the next week collect waste for recycling.

"This would save the authority £1.5 million a year, which is a lot of money."

The announcement came as Cllr Khan and three of his colleagues on the Labour-led authority, Councillors Arshad Hussain, Michelle Swallow and Richard Dunbar, joined the district's bin crews on their rounds to mark National Zero Waste Week.

They helped staff collect cans and plastic bottles for recycling.

Cllr Khan said: "Having experienced first-hand how hard our crews work to keep on top of the district’s waste, I think they are a fantastic team and a credit to the Council."

It costs the Council far more to incinerate or landfill waste than recycle it, so councillors are now urging households to do their bit to help save money by recycling more.

Cllr Hussain, executive member for neighbourhoods, said: "We no longer have the resources to carry on as we have been doing so we are hoping that the community will play a big part in helping us make the necessary savings we need to make."