Green for go as new bins come to homes (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Green for go as new bins come to homes

COTSWOLD District Council has started to deliver 30,000 garden waste bins to green-fingered residents in an attempt bid to reach stringent Government recycling targets.

Last year it was revealed that the council was 24th out of 50 authorities in recycling tables after achieving an 18 per cent rate towards a target of 33 per cent.

It is hoped the new scheme, which gets under way at the beginning of next month, will stop thousands of tonnes of garden waste going to landfill sites.

More than 90 per cent of eligible householders are taking advantage of the scheme and the bins - if laid to end to end - would stretch from Cirencester to Stow.

Councillor Lynden Stowe, responsible for the environment, said: "Waste and recycling is one of our top priorities. We expect to compost an extra 4,000 tonnes of garden waste every year from this scheme, which will bring us nearer to our target of recycling 40 per cent by 2007.

"We hope people will enjoy using the new collection service."

The free collection service will replace the current system, in which householders have to buy green sacks to get rid of garden waste. For households where bins are not suitable, the council is providing a biodegradable sack that can be composted along with the garden waste. The garden waste will be collected in specially-designed vehicles, taken away, shredded and used to produce compost.

Garden bins will be emptied every other week, on the same day as recycling boxes. Those who receive their bins at the start of the delivery schedule will have their first collection on Monday, March 7.

The collection service will take garden material such as grass clippings, leaves and prunings. No rubbish from the kitchen (including fruit and vegetable peelings) can be taken, nor can fencing, stones or general household rubbish. Bins that have the wrong materials in them will not be emptied.

Keen gardeners will be able to buy an extra bin for a one-off payment of £40.

The new wheelie bins have been paid for with funding negotiated from the agriculture ministry Defra to increase recycling in the district over the next two years.