Curtilage Collection and the New Recycling Contract

Although I think the overall contract for waste and street cleaning in Brent is very strong, one area that troubles me is the proposed changes to curtilage collection. 

The Present Collection System
At present, residents simply leave their bins and the contractors collect it, returning the empty bins to somewhere in the front garden.  They are supposed not to leave it in the way of anyone coming in or out of the house, although I have often heard people say that this requirement is often ignored.  There is a special assisted collection service for people who are infirm for one reason or another.

The Proposed Alternative System
The proposed alternative is that people will be expected to leave their bins at the edge of the property or they will not be collected.  This effectively happens already in some parts of Brent, and I have been told in other parts of London, but I am not sure that people will take to it in southern parts of the Borough with lots of houses in multiple occupation, high rates of transition and poor knowledge of English.  The attraction is of course that it makes it much easier for the bin men, and therefore represents a significant monetary saving.

I would be interested in hearing what other people think.