Fortnightly rubbish collections are unsuitable for many areas and there is no proof they increase recycling, an influential committee of MPs has said.
The Communities and Local Government Select Committee also called for better research into the public health implications of leaving rubbish in the street for up to 14 days.
The intervention follows a storm of protest over "alternate week collections" which see recyclables collected one week and other waste the next.
It came in a report which also warned that financial incentives for recycling were likely to backfire with public protests and an increase in fly-tipping.
The cross-party select committee urged that alternate week collections - which are so far used by 140 authorities hoping to improve recycling rates - should not be introduced everywhere.
The committee acknowledged there was no clear evidence of adverse public health effects but insisted there should be detailed research into anecdotal claims about increased vermin.
As the Government seeks to increase recycling, then environment secretary David Miliband said earlier this year that councils would be allowed to introduce financial incentives for householders.
But the committee warned such schemes - though ministers promise they would be revenue neutral - would be seen as an additional charge for rubbish collection.
The Tories accused the Government of using recycling as an excuse for another "stealth tax".
The Department for Communities and Local Government said it was "disappointed" about the committee's views on financial incentives.
