Is the end near for Wolverhampton's slop buckets?

The black food waste bins were controversially given out across the city in 2011 at a cost of £600,000.

Almost 100,000 homes were given the 23 litre bins in an effort to encourage people to recycle food waste, with around 5,000 refusing to take them.

It was proposed at a scrutiny meeting that removing the collection service for the bins should be looked into due to a lack of use.

It comes as the council unveils plans to scrap free parking in the city in a bid to rake in £300,000.

Councillors Phil Bateman and John Rowley said that green recycling should be a top priority and that a saving could be made if food waste bin collections were scrapped.

Councillor Rowley, who represents the Blakenhall Ward, said: "I have a feeling that most people don't use these, they don't leave a lot of food and what is leftover goes into general waste.

"Certainly in my area, this is the case.

"There isn't a requirement to carry out this service and if that ends up changing, we should be given funding from government to do that.

"I am not convinced this is a worthwhile venture.

"I think we are going to have to review it, it is not the most practical way of doing things and currently it is costing money."

The council's Vibrant and Sustainable City scrutiny panel discussed the idea and asked for a review into the costs incurred by the services and the benefits that cancelling it may have.

Food waste bins are currently collected weekly and cost £41 per tonne to dispose of.

Councillor Phil Bateman, who represents Wednesfield North, said: "I agree with councillor Rowley's concern in relation to food waste.

"I don't think they are being used and I think there may be a saving for us to make which won't concern members of the public too much."

The introduction of food waste bins was controversial, with hundreds of residents sending theirs back.

Similar schemes elsewhere had led to complaints on food smells, especially in hot weather but council bosses at the time said 81 per cent of a group of 855 polled said they would use them.

Initially, as much as 410 tons of waste were being collected in a single month.

However, figures collected shortly after dwindled and it was revealed that only 35 per cent of households were using it.