Rubbish is being left scattered across streets in Brighton and Hove because of problems with a new greener recycling collection.

Two months after new Cityclean routes were introduced, the pavements are littered with bottles, tins, plastic and paper.

Frustrated residents have inundated waste bosses with calls complaining about uncollected recycling.

Brighton and Hove City Council yesterday admitted there were some settling in problems with the new system.

Union bosses say fewer crew members and collection vehicles have also contributed to the problem. But residents and councillors have warned that unless the issue is resolved quickly people will stop recycling and start throwing waste into their regular bins instead.

The Argus has received calls from householders complaining about their erratic collections.

Gisele Franks, who lives in King’s Gardens, Hove, said: “I live just around the corner from the council offices and I have even threatened to dump my recycling down there because I am so fed up.

“Since the beginning of the new system, collections have been totally erratic. The recycling is never collected on the right day and we don’t know when to put it out.

“If things are not sorted out soon, people are going to forget about recycling.”

Ken Hancock, of Beaconsfield Road, Brighton, said recycling boxes on the opposite side of his street had not been collected for months, despite frequent calls to Cityclean.

He said: “It’s really disgusting. I have lived here for 30 years but I have even considered moving. It is really getting me down.

“This is the main route into the city. What must visitors think?”

Carol Chisem, 49, of Dyke Road, Brighton, said: “I have made at least 20 or 30 calls to the council. It’s so frustrating. Since the changes began it seems you have to ring every week to get them to come out and do what they are supposed to.”

New recycling routes were introduced in February in an attempt to make collections more efficient and environmentally friendly.

The council changed the way it collected rubbish after opening a purpose-built sorting facility at Hollingdean. Trucks now take waste there rather than to landfill at Beddingham, near Lewes.

Mark Turner, the GMB union’s branch secretary for Brighton and Hove, said crews were trying hard to keep up with the extra workload after five vehicles were taken off the road in February and each crew was reduced by one person at the beginning of March as part of changes agreed with the council.

He said: “There have been some problems and in some cases crews are having difficulty completing their work.

“We have never been convinced our members could work with one fewer person on the crew but the only way to prove that is by going out and giving it a go.

“We have managed to negotiate successfully with local management that additional staff remain on temporary contracts to help some crews and this will be reviewed in June.”

Mr Turner said the bank holiday added to delays. He said: “We understand residents are suffering but it is not through the want of our members trying.”

Ben Duncan, a Green councillor for Queen’s Park, said recycling figures would fall if people gave up trying.

He said: “If the council makes it harder for people to recycle they will think ‘why bother?’ and put it in their normal bins.

“In the fullness of time I think we will see the recycling figures fall, which will cause problems both environmentally and financially.”

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, cabinet member for environment, said: “The reason we are changing the recycling rounds is to make the service more efficient. The problems some people are experiencing are in specific areas and we are sorting them out on a round-by-round basis.”

Are you experiencing problems with your recycling? Email emily.elliott@theargus.co.uk or call 01273 544538.