Norton residents are being encouraged to go green by turning blue.

A new blue bag initiative is being launched by Ryedale District Council encouraging residents to recycle their household waste.

The blue bags will be collected once a fortnight from the kerbside outside each property.

The blue bags are currently being distributed to homes across the Norton area with a leaflet detailing collection dates and times and details on what to recycle.

John Brown, Ryedale's environmental co-ordinator, said newspapers, magazines, junk mail, catalogues and telephone directories and plastics were examples of items which could be placed in the bags.

"At present only about nine per cent of household rubbish is recycled - the council needs to increase this amount," he said.

"The local landfill site has only a few years left until it is full so alternative methods of rubbish disposal are being introduced."

Mr Brown said the blue bag scheme was being introduced at Norton with a view to expanding it in due course to other communities across the district.

"We hope that everyone will help us by sorting out their paper waste using the special bags so we can recycle it," he said.

Updated: 10:50 Friday, October 05, 2001