RESIDENTS in Ramsbottom who have yet to benefit from Bury Council's doorstep garden waste recycling scheme are being urged to use one of the borough's local household waste recycling centres instead.

Bury Council's new £600,000 programme to increase recycling everywhere in the borough, wants to extend the service to other households by giving them use of recycling centres.

Councillor Stella Smith, Bury Council's Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said, "Throwing away valuable garden waste costs ratepayers hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, but this could be avoided by householders either home composting, using the special garden waste bins we have provided in some areas, or taking their green waste along to their local Household Waste Recycling Centre."

Councillor Neil Swannick, chairman of Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, said, "Householders have a vital role to play in helping the environment and reducing the costs of waste disposal.

"The people are becoming used to helping the environment by recycling their paper, glass, cans and other materials. We now need people to think twice before throwing valuable garden waste in the bin."

In Ramsbottom, residents can recycle garden waste at Household Recycling Centres based at Bury Household Waste Recycling Centre, Every Street, Fernhill; Prestwich Household Waste Recycling Centre, Clifton; and Radcliffe Recycling Centre, Cemetery Road, Radcliffe.

Anyone wanting details on how and where to recycle their garden waste should call the council via its customer services number on 0161 253 5353 or by logging on to www.bury.gov.uk