Contrary to expectations within the industry, the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has announced that over 180 local authorities have submitted applications to get a slice of the £250 million Weekly Collection Support Scheme pie that was launched in February.

The DCLG revealed: “Nearly two-thirds [of the 180 applications] came from authorities that want to retain or reinstate weekly collections to offer more comprehensive collections of residual waste and recycling for their residents.”

The statement continued: “A number of bids are proposing to use the funding to invest in new infrastructure or technology to improve services or increase recycling. Others focus on better services like tackling 'bin blight' by reducing bin numbers or tailoring collections for specific neighbourhoods.”

Although the DCLG didn’t expand on how many of these bids are for weekly food waste collections or other weekly recycling schemes, a survey by The Sunday Telegraph of 184 English councils has found that just one authority – Gloucester City Council – wants to restore a weekly residual waste collection via newer, smaller bins. The rest, it seems, are applying for the money to help expand various recycling schemes or to purchase infrastructure to bring down collection costs.

The newspaper found that:

* 31 wanted money for plans which will do nothing to bring back weekly collections, including sat nav systems for rubbish lorries, more giant communal bins and even nappy recycling schemes

* two councils were in the process of ditching weekly collections – but were still applying to the scheme for funding for weekly food collections

* just 17 authorities which currently have full weekly collections said they would apply for money to guarantee their future.

Government will now be working with councils to make sure quality outline bids are submitted by the May deadline. The scoring system will reward bids that support comprehensive weekly rubbish and recycling collections.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "Rubbish collections are the most visible service that people get for their £120 a month council tax bill. The public are fed up of all the bin dos and bin don'ts – now our fund will mean councils can sort out their service and offer a high-quality weekly collection or invest in ways to improve recycling through incentives and new technology.

"I'm pleased to see so many councils come forward to stop the rot. This shows councils recognise more can be done to increase the sustainability, frequency and the quality of rubbish collections people get in return for their council tax."

Joy Blizzard, Chair of LARAC, said of the latest announcement: "I'm glad to see that the fund has been well supported and that food waste collections have formed a large number of the bids. This is localism in action – council's wanting to put in schemes that are appropriate for their residents, environmental aspirations and local area."

The scheme follows on from the government's announcement as part of the Waste Review in June last year that it would introduce a series of measures to make life easier for the householder. It has already scrapped plans to introduce new bin taxes with provisions through the Localism Act; reversed Audit Commission guidance and inspections which marked down councils who do not adopt fortnightly rubbish collections; and abolished Local Area Agreements imposed by Whitehall which ‘created perverse incentives to downgrade waste collection services’, according to the DCLG.