It seems neither Camden nor Haringey councils can get it right when it comes to rubbish collection.

This week Camden Council was forced to apologise after admitting it failed to send out up to 5,000 letters to residents about introducing new bins across the borough.

The gaffe means the consultation deadline is being pushed back to give people time to respond.

From next summer, 20,000 households in Camden – most north of Euston Road – will get a 240-litre wheelie bin for paper and dry recyclables. Slimline 140-litre bins will also be available.

The scheme, which will cost �835,000, aims to increase Camden’s recycling rate from 33 per cent to at least 40 by 2020.

Cllr Phil Jones, cabinet member for sustainability, said: “I’d like to apologise for any confusion caused by the administrative problem with the letters.

“We rectified the mistake as soon as possible and all households who are envisaged to receive a wheelie bin should now have received their questionnaire.”

The questionnaire asked about the size of bin and colour residents would like, as well as questions about recycling.

The original deadline was November 2 but it has been extended to November 23.

Properties currently have black bin liners for rubbish, green bags or boxes for dry recyclables, blue bags for paper, brown boxes for food scraps and white sacks for garden cuttings.

But Catherine Budgett-Meakin, who lives in Highgate Village, said: “The system instituted about two years ago is excellent.

“The innovation of having different receptacles for different goods is easy to use and avoids the co-mingling of recyclables.

“We are now recycling a great proportion of our waste and only put out a bag every two weeks.”

Meanwhile, councillors in Haringey have been left red-faced after admitting it will look again at its decision to collect rubbish fortnightly and hand out large wheelie bins to be kept in front of properties – likened to a “Dalek invasion” by Highgate residents.

A Haringey Council spokeswoman confirmed its cross-party overview and scrutiny committee has recommended that weekly collections be resumed in exceptional circumstances where other options have been ruled out.

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, said: “In many cases fortnightly collections simply do not work and Labour would have known this had they consulted residents properly.

“Many streets are littered with overflowing bins and rotten rubbish and some have far too many bins, which are ruining the look of the street.

“One such case is in the Miltons area in Highgate.”

The proposal will be considered by cabinet in December.