NEW recycling facilities could be provided for some York residents, to help boost the city's environmental performance.

Under a proposed pilot scheme, a series of recycling trials will be carried out in The Groves.

Some communal collections will be made from blocks of flats, local schools will be involved, and there will be tests using a split wheelie bin, with containers for glass, plastic bottles, cans and paper and card. The bins can hold an estimated fortnight's worth of recyclable materials.

The £80,000 pilot is subject to the ongoing 2008-9 budget process. If it gets the go-ahead, successful methods could then be extended to other terraced streets and apartment blocks in York.

Coun Andrew Waller, the council's executive member for neighbourhood services, said: "I hope everyone will pull together to ensure that this pilot scheme works as I want to see recycling collections in all parts of the city. The Groves has been chosen because this area has a wide variety of different types of city centre housing and should show all the challenges that we face.

"While many city centre streets and some flats get a recycling collection from the Friends Of St Nicholas Field, which is supported financially by the council, there are many areas out of the range of their collection service."

Recycling levels in York have increased from about 12 per cent to about 40 per cent in the past five years, but the council is committed to further increases.

Coun Waller said: "Roughly one-in-ten households in York is short of a kerbside recycling collection, and this proposal would help with the complete roll out.

He said York council tax-payers have paid £12 million of landfill tax money, but only £3 million has come back from the Government to help support the collections.

"If we could keep all the landfill tax money in York, we could almost double the budget, and bring in more recycling services which would take our recycling rate even higher", he said.

Coun Ruth Potter, Labour spokeswoman for neighbourhood services, welcomed the "long-awaited" pilot and said: "Labour have been campaigning for the last three years to get recycling into the terraced areas of the city. We have long said these areas have not had equity with other areas of the city in the provision of recycling services.

"Many terraces in the city have had to receive recycling services from the voluntary sector rather than the council and some wards, such as Micklegate, have funded this service through their local ward committee budgets. Labour councillors have conducted an extensive survey of the terraces. We know that people really want to recycle."