HAMPSHIRE councils have ruled out introducing so-called pay-as-you-throw fines for people who fail to recycle their rubbish.

The controversial plan, outlined by the Government yesterday, could see civic chiefs charge households up to £50 for dumping items which could be re-used. Local authorities will also be allowed to give "rewards in cash" to those who recycle.

Environment Secretary David Miliband insisted that councils must not use the new measures as an extra tax raising scheme.

Hampshire councils, which have relatively high recycling rates, said they hoped to continue to improve without having to resort to financial incentives.

Most already run fortnightly rubbish collections, in which non-recyclable waste is collected one week and recyclable the next. Opponents say it encourages vermin, unpleasant smells and fly-tipping. All have already ruled out putting microchips into wheelie bins to record the weight of rubbish dumped by each household.

Southampton City Council has voted down Liberal Democrat plans to introduce fortnightly household rubbish collections for the past four years.

The new Tory administration says it is committed to keeping them weekly.

New Cabinet member for the environment and transport councillor Gavin Dick said he was against the principle of councils checking on the amount of rubbish households throw out.

"The Conservative group is against micro-chips in bins," he said.

Civic chiefs in Winchester this week hailed the success of its new fortnightly rubbish collections, saying recycling in the first phase area, which includes the north of the district and the city, had gone up from 18 to 40 per cent.

City council leader councillor George Beckett said he doubted whether charging for rubbish would be needed.

Sean Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council, said it no longer sent any rubbish to landfill.

He added that he opposed charging for rubbish and accused Mr Miliband of "trying to shuffle difficult decisions on to local authorities."

Test Valley council leader Ian Carr said it had just rolled out new wheelie bin and would need Government funding for any changes such a "chip and pin" technology.

Liberal Democrat environment spokesman and Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne said the waste strategy was a "too little too late" and called for a "more ambitious" plan, including prosecutions for unnecessary packaging.

Mr Miliband said he was launching a public consultation exercise on proposals for "revenue neutral" incentives which would be left to councils.

"Local authorities will be able to decide whether or not to develop schemes that reward in cash people who reduce waste and recycle at the expense of those who don't," he said.

Hampshire is the top performing county for landfill avoidance by burning or recycling nearly 85 per cent of its household waste in 2006/07. County recycling rates are expected to hit 36 per cent.