A KERBSIDE recycling service is to be extended to cover the majority of Hambleton households.

The paper collection service has already seen a three per cent increase in recycling rates since it was introduced to 20,000 homes last year.

By September it will take in another 2,546 properties, in villages including Sutton-on-the-Forest, Huby, Stillington, Raskelf, Tholthorpe, Alne and Helperby, as well as RAF Leeming.

Members of Hambleton District Council's ruling cabinet agreed to a further expansion programme when they met yesterday. They are ploughing another £25,000 into the scheme to take in another 8,000 homes.

It will mean 82 per cent of the district will be covered by kerbside collections.

They were told it will complement the roll-out of wheelie bins across the district. Waste will be collected in two bins - green and black - and collected on alternate weeks.

A pilot scheme covering 5,000 homes in the Thirsk area has proved so successful that another 13,100 homes covering Bedale and to the south of Thirsk will be added in September. The remainder of the district will be added by the year 2005.

It is hoped that the scheme will help the council meet the challenging recycling targets set by the Government - Hambleton has to recycle 24 per cent of all waste by 2005.

Cabinet members also agreed that the alternate weekly collections of wheelie bins will be suspended over the Christmas period. During that time the black wheelie bins will be collected for three consecutive weeks. The green bins, which take compostable garden waste, will not be collected.

Updated: 10:21 Wednesday, July 09, 2003