The government looks set to pay councils in England to restore weekly bin collections in a move certain to spark criticism from environmental groups and the recycling industry.

A £250m fund will be made available to local authorities to support the Conservative pre-election pledge to move collections from once a fortnight, a policy that was mooted in May but seemingly abandoned in the following month's much-criticised Waste Review.

Eric Pickles, the communities and local government secretary, has long been pushing for weekly collections and is thought to have the support of Prime Minister David Cameron.

Pickles unveiled plans for the new Weekly Collections Support Scheme last night, saying they would come into force in April next year.

"Weekly rubbish collections are the most visible of all frontline services and I believe every household in England has a basic right to have their rubbish collected every week," he said. "Our fund will help councils deliver weekly collections, and in the process make it easier for families to go green and improve the local environment."

The money will be made available for councils that pledge to retain, or return to, weekly services for at least five years. Other assurances around boosting recycling rates and cutting down on fly-tipping or litter will also need to be given for councils to qualify for the grants.

However, the news is unlikely to be welcomed by environmental campaigners or the waste management industry, which have argued in the past that fortnightly collections cut waste levels and greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging recycling.

Rick Hindley, director of the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), told BusinessGreen earlier in the year that extensive research suggested there was a correlation between fortnightly bin collections and higher recycling rates.

"In the past two years, councils that have gone to alternate weekly collection, with residual waste one week and recycling the next, have seen an increase in recycling rates," he said. "We absolutely share green groups' concerns about any move back to weekly collection."

There is also confusion over whether £250m will be enough to support weekly collections, with some estimates putting the cost of returning to weekly collections nationwide at closer to £530m.