A THOUSAND households may get garden waste collected from their homes under a trial City of York Council scheme.

The project would help the authority reduce the amount of waste dumped on landfill sites.

Members of the Environment and Sustainability scrutiny board are to decide on Thursday whether to launch the £40,000 trial over 12 months.

Areas which would take part in the trial are currently undecided, but are likely to incorporate 500 homes near Yorwaste's depot at Harewood Whin, Rufforth, where the waste would be composted.

If successful, the council could launch a citywide kerbside green garden waste collection scheme.

Coun Andrew Waller, deputy council leader and executive member for the environment, said the council was hoping to tackle the issue now to avoid crippling government fines of £150 per tonne of waste in the future.

"Waste management is going to be a big subject in terms of volume of material and the cost," he said.

"We do have to make it as easy as possible with kerbside collections and so on, because, while there are a small number of highly motivated people, most are too busy."

The UK is currently under pressure to hit national targets for diverting waste from landfill sites as part of a EU directive.

York residents generated 99,000 tonnes of household rubbish in 2002-2003. Of this, just over 12 per cent was recycled or composted, a year ahead of government targets.

This figure needs to hit 18 per cent by 2005-2006, with Landfill Tax set to more than double in the next ten years.

Coun Waller said that a recent initiative to provide cut-price home composting bins to households was well-received but it was difficult to measure their impact.

Residents are also being encouraged to use designated garden waste bins at York's three household waste sites.

In addition, Friends of St Nicholas Fields, New Earswick Community Composting Scheme, and Haxby/Wigginton Ward Committee operate green waste collections in their areas.

Officers have recommended the trial should involve garden waste being collected on the same day as refuse, alternated with dry recyclables, to minimise confusion for residents.

If approved, trial participants will be given wheeled bins to store the garden waste. Councillors are being advised to approve the refurbishment of 750 grey bins, which are being stored at Hessay, and buy an extra 300 bins.

Updated: 08:42 Tuesday, November 25, 2003