WHEELIE bins are sure to provoke hot debate among residents and councillors at a debate tonight.

The council plans to give two or three bins to households in eight areas: Hadley Wood, Cockfosters, Highlands, Grange Park, Enfield Chase, Ponders End, Enfield Highway and Upper Edmonton.

Some residents have reacted with outrage to the plan, which would apply to all detached, semi-detached and some terraced houses.

They say three bins, which would be for green waste, dry recyclables, and normal rubbish, are too many and will blight the appearance of their homes.

Opposition Labour councillors, eight of whom have called in the pilot decision, have accused the council of only selecting areas where recycling is high where the scheme is likely to be popular.

They say there is a “lack of detail” on why these areas have been selected for the pilot and said they fear the council has fortnightly collections in mind.

Labour MP Joan Ryan was pushing for wheelie bins last year, with a survey backed by Labour councillors last August showing 65 per cent of residents in favour.

In a letter to the Enfield Independent in October last year, council leader Michael Rye said:“I can absolutely guarantee that weekly collections will remain. Further to this, street cleaning services will be tailored to follow collection services. Wheelie bins will stop cats, foxes and other animals getting at rubbish sacks.”

Both sides have also claimed that wheelie bins will boost recycling rates, which currently stand at about 30 per cent of household waste is recycled.

The bins are to become compulsory for thousands of residents from this October as part of an ambitious programme to help slash the amount of waste we send to landfill by half.

Enfield's recycling rate must increase to 40 per cent by 2010 for the council to avoid Government fines.

The meeting, of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, will be held tonight at the Civic Centre, Silver Street, at 7pm.