And you thought seven bins was bad enough… now locals in one street are told to separate waste into THIRTEEN different bags, boxes and containers

• Residents of Caledonia Place in Clifton, Bristol have waste picked up in 13 ways
• Bristol City Council leads UK by recycling 46 per cent of its household waste

If you dread bin day spare a thought for the residents of Caledonia Place in Clifton who have to separate their rubbish into thirteen different bags, boxes and containers.

For six days a week the balconies and large sash windows of the smart street Bristol, look out onto clean pavements and leafy gardens tended by the proud residents.

But every Thursday morning it’s littered with hundreds of rubbish containers waiting for the binmen to arrive – and the number of containers could soon double.

Residents have got used to separating their general household waste, cardboard, plastic, tins and glass, food and garden waste into different receptacles.

But now they have the option of more bags and boxes to take away clothing, shoes and spent batteries.

Bristol City Council is leading the way in the UK by recycling 46 per cent of its household waste – the national average is 44.1 per cent.

It is being spurred on by research that has found the more bins you give people, the more they recycle.

And that is the case in Caledonia Place where homeowners happily spend part of their day sorting their rubbish into an ever-increasing number of recycling containers.

Because most of the houses are divided into flats, residents have discovered it’s best to have a fish supper on a Wednesday night so the smelly leftovers get picked up first thing the next morning.

Others decide to recycle as they go along, making almost daily trips to recycling bins at the nearby Co-op store.

The biggest fear is when someone walking past carelessly drops a drink can or crisp bag into the wrong container outside their homes.

The binmen won’t take the container and the unlucky resident has to haul it back inside to store for a full week before trying again.

This comes after Government plans that could have forced households to sort waste into up to seven separate bins and foot higher costs were delayed earlier this year.

Confirmation of the massive overhaul – branded ‘madness’ by critics – had been expected in April, but any announcement was delayed.

Under the scheme, designed to make processes more consistent across England, rubbish would need to go into an array of different containers to stop cross-contamination before being taken to recycling centres.

A 52-year-old creative director living in a basement garden flat said: ‘We all have to take responsibility – it’s our rubbish so we have to go along with these new measures.

‘Recycling has changed over the years, we’ve gone from one container to five and now we can have more if we ask for them.

‘We have stopped buying fruit and veg from supermarkets because it’s wrapped in plastic. Now we use a greengrocer who uses paper to wrap. I’m happy to make those changes.’

Landlord Philip Baker, 66, said: ‘The more recycling schemes the better – we have to save the planet.

‘I don’t think recycling goes far enough and shops should be doing a lot more to cut down on materials that aren’t bio-degradable.

‘I’ve noticed some supermarkets have gone back to selling eggs in plastic containers. I avoid them.’

Research scientist Dr Clio Andreae(CORR), 34, who lives in a top floor apartment, said: ‘We sort all our rubbish into different containers, the food box can get a bit gross by the end of the week but we’ve got used to it.

‘I’m happy to do more recycling if it helps the council deal with all the city’s waste.’

Tax adviser Josh Greenhaf, 26, said: ‘I’m in agreement with what the council is doing – it’s simple enough to separate out your rubbish, we’ve all got used to it.

‘Bristol has a good record for recycling, in my view they are making it easier for people although I do see some elderly people struggling to put out their bags on a Wednesday night.’

NHS Clinical services manager Lesley Leadbeater, 63, is not impressed by the number of bags and bins piling up outside the historic terrace of of four-storey houses.

She said: ‘It’s become an eyesore every week – it can look a real mess and blights the area. I take things like plastic and batteries to the Co-op to be recycled, it helps keep my weekly rubbish down.’

Retired TV producer Anne Farrell said: Disposing of our rubbish has become a philosophical question, like so many things these days.

‘Bigger minds need to come up with a solution.

‘I feel for the binmen, they should be paid more than bankers as far as I’m concerned.’

Ms Farrell doesn’t use her garden waste bin opting to take her leaves and cuttings to the compost bins in the communal gardens tended by volunteer residents.

Marion Westwood, 86, who is retired from her philately company, is keen on recycling but worried that 13 different receptacles is going too far.

‘It’s ridiculous,’ she said. ‘Where’s it going to end? We are very good, our rubbish goes in all the right containers and I take some to a recycling skip at the church. Thirteen is a lot but I suppose we will get used to it.’