A senior Westcountry councillor has urged a Government minister to stop meddling after saying homes should be built with storage areas to end the scourge of "bin-blighted" streets.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is to issue planning guidance encouraging developers to create space in properties so bins and recycling boxes can be hidden away.
Mr Pickles said he was determined to get "rid of barmy bin policies" which "made families' lives hell".
Cornwall Council was last year criticised for introducing six recycling bins under a new waste regime, with part-time resident and broadcaster Richard Madeley complaining about recycling bins "littering the countryside".
But Liberal Democrat councillor Alex Folkes, a Cabinet member in the new Independent-Lib Dem administration, said in Cornwall: "We rely on the sense of our residents to choose how to store their rubbish".
He said: "If they want to buy a bin then they are free to do so and they don't need Eric Pickles or anyone else imposing restrictions on them.
"We ask residents not to put their bins or bags out until the morning of collection to avoid problems of animals ripping bags open.
"By and large this system works very well with the minimum of fuss and regulation."
He added: "Perhaps Mr Pickles should take a holiday instead of seeking to meddle yet again in the lives of hard press residents and impose even more burdens on local councils."
The guidance, to be published next week, will warn house builders that "unsightly bins left lying around the neighbourhood can damage the visual amenity of an area".
Mr Pickles said: "In streets up and down the country, ugly bin clutter has ruined the street scene and the look of people's homes and gardens."
Mr Pickles has previously pledged £250 million to get more councils to switch from fortnightly to weekly collections. But just one council nationally changed their policy, Labour claims.
East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge and Torbay councils still collect fortnightly.
Plymouth City Council, Cornwall Council and Torridge District Council already boast weekly collections.
