Council bosses hope to provide weekly food waste collection services to at least 22,000 extra properties across Norwich, South Norfolk and Broadland.

Local authorities last night submitted their ideas for communities secretary Eric Pickles' �250m fund, which aims to develop better ways of collecting rubbish.

Norwich, South Norfolk and Broadland councils have expressed an interest in securing more than �1m to give extra residents a chance to get rid of their food waste.

Officials at Norwich City Council say 55,000 households already receive the service but their aims include extending it to areas without it. This largely includes residents in flats who use communal bins.

South Norfolk Council says it is 'seriously considering' introducing the collections for 17,000 properties across the district, which would require �650,000 of government cash. Broadland District Council already provides weekly food waste collection in 10 areas, including Thorpe St Andrew and Hellesdon.

The authority is seeking almost �465,000 from the government to extend the service to an estimated 5,000 houses.

The government cash will last for three years, which has raised questions about how councils will continue funding the service beyond this period.

But the bids have to show how councils will fund the service for at least another two years.

Under the food waste collection system, residents are each given a small container, known as a caddy, to collect waste in the kitchen. This is then transferred to a larger container kept outside, which is collected by the council.

richard.wheeler@archant.co.uk