Every home will be issued with a kitchen slop bucket under plans being drawn up in Whitehall.
Ministers aim to ban the dumping of food waste in landfill sites.
They insist that all the food collected by binmen is instead sent to recycling plants.
The nationwide scheme will mean that households will be forced to have a separate slop bucket - or kitchen caddy as Whitehall prefers to call them - for everything from chicken bones to mouldy lettuce and left-over baked beans.
Those who fail to recycle food waste and try to put it out with their general refuse are likely to face bin fines - which typically run at £110 but which can now in some cases reach £500.
