HYNDBURN residents are being urged to rethink the way they dispose of their rubbish and to take advantage of free recycling schemes available in the borough.
Councillor Ann Scaife, Cabinet portfolio holder for environment and cleansing, launched the Lancashire-wide Rethink Rubbish campaign with the help of model Jenny Hammond, wearing a dress made entirely of newspapers. The scheme aims to encourage people to use kerbside paper collections.
Councillor Scaife took delivery of Hyndburn's 36,000th kerbside collection sack, which she described as a "tremendous milestone".
A total of 1,117 tonnes of paper were collected for recycling in the borough last year under the scheme run by Hyndburn Council and Holmen Paper, which is the equivalent in weight of more than 149 double-decker buses.
Councillor Scaife added: "The collection bags make it so easy to recycle waste paper and give us an extra chance to do something for our environment. Simply drop your waste paper in the bag given to you, put it on the kerbside and the council will collect it."
The doorstep collection service is available to 96 per cent of Hynd-burn's households but only 40 per cent of those currently use it.
Hyndburn Council's recycling officer Robert Jones added: "For residents who do not yet have kerbside collection schemes, the Rethink Rubbish campaign will also promote the use of other recycling facilities across Lancashire, such as the civic amenity sites and the bring-back sites in retailer car parks which people can use for paper as well as recycling glass and cans.
"As paper accounts for 25 per cent of the average household bin, recycling waste paper is just one easy way that will reduce the 31,000 tonnes of household rubbish thrown away in Hyndburn each year."
