Government plans to standardise kerbside waste collections will cost £680m a year, district councils have warned today.

The District Councils’ Network (DCN) said the proposals will create ‘chaos and confusion’ as households could need as many as seven bins each.

There would be four separate bins for dry recyclables as well as bins for garden waste, food waste and non-recyclables, said DCN.

The council leaders also said the reforms would lead increase the number of collection vehicles on the road, reduce many existing bins into unnecessary waste themselves and block pavements and driveways.

It wants councils and communities to decide how they want their waste collected and plans for universally free garden waste collections to be scrapped.

Cllr Dan Humphreys, DCN’s lead member for enhancing quality of life, said: ‘These proposals are poorly thought out and will create costly chaos and confusion up and down the country.

’Rather than standardise waste collections, local communities should be able to decide what works best for them.

’What works for residents in villages and rural areas won’t work for people living in flats in a busy town or city. It is also wrong that those without gardens are contributing towards the costs of garden waste collections for those who do.’

Earlier this month, chief executives urged the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to identify and fund all additional costs.