Tory leaders on Chester City Council and the new Cheshire West and Chester Shadow Unitary Authority have decided to buck the national trend to introduce fortnightly collections of black bag non-recyclable trash.

But Lib Dem environment expert, Cllr Andrew Garman, has criticised the decision saying: "The proposed scheme will cost the earth, financially and in terms of the increased environmental damage."

The decision to keep weekly collections, but in wheelie bins instead of bags, comes after the city council's new waste contract was approved by the Cheshire West and Chester Council which comes into power next April.

The effect will be to have weekly collections of waste in the Chester City Council area but fortnightly collections in Ellesmere Port and Neston, and in Vale Royal, the sister boroughs which serve the make up the new Cheshire West and Chester territory.

All city council residents will be provided with wheelie bins except for about 7,000 residents, often those who live in flats, some terraced properties and some homes in isolated rural areas.

Figures compiled by government department Defra show more than half of all local authorities nationally have introduced fortnightly collections and in such areas recycling rates have improved dramatically.

Studies have shown a link between low recycling rates and lower taxes through reducing the amount of landfill waste deposited nationwide.

Britain avoids heavy European Union penalties by reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.

Chester, which was once a regional trailblazer when it came to recycling achievements, has been stuck on just over 30 per cent for a few years now while Ellesmere Port and Neston, and Vale Royal, can both boast figures of about 45 per cent, well above the government's target.

A seven-year Chester contract was approved by the councils despite opposition from opposition Labour and Liberal Democrat groups.

A survey by the city council also showed the vast majority of respondents favoured keeping the weekly collection scheme.

Deputy city council leader Stephen Mosley said: "We posted a consultation leaflet with every council tax bill last April and way over 70 per cent of the public backed our plans for weekly collections and improved recycling."

Executive member for the environment, Cllr Jill Houlbrook, added: "It makes Chester one of the few councils to stand up to the pressure to go fortnightly."

The new contract will remain in effect until at least 2012, when it is up for renegotiation. In addition to keeping rubbish collection weekly, the new plan incorporates a promotion of recycling throughout the district.

Opposition camps used procedural blocking powers to try to stop the contract, claiming the decision would cost taxpayers more in the long-term and would not raise recycling levels enough. The block was swiftly over-ridden at a scrutiny committee meeting, held behind closed doors.

City council Lib Dem group leader Cllr Paul Roberts said: "The real costs of this scheme are just enormous.

"I cannot imagine that the new shadow unitary authority will be happy for council taxpayers across West Cheshire to pick up the bill.

"The Conservatives have totally failed to look at the bigger picture."

Lib Dem environment expert, Cllr Andrew Garman, added: "Whichever way you look at this, the proposed scheme will cost the earth, financially and in terms of the increased environmental damage.

"I have no doubt whatsoever that if the residents of Chester had known the full cost of the Conservatives' scheme they would not have expressed the preference they did."

Cllr Derek Bateman, Labour group leader on Cheshire West and Chester, said: "It became clear Chester would revert to a weekly collection at a cost of an extra £463,000 compared with the current arrangements.

"This relates to an extra 5.7 per cent increase in the council tax for Chester for this luxury. Are the citizens of Chester happy with this spending spree?

"This would either mean that when the new authority rationalises its collections contract after April 1 it will introduce a weekly collection in Ellesmere Port and Vale Royal at an estimated extra cost of £1.3 million, or return Chester to fortnightly collections, months after the introduction of the new contract.

"There are environmental questions to be answered about the process, too, plus questions about co-operation with the two other current collection authorities about economies of scale."

Cllr Bateman added: "No answers from the executive member do not suggest there will be honest and open government in Cheshire West and Chester in the foreseeable future."