ALMOST half a million bottles, 188,000 cans and enough paper to save 10,000 trees.

Those are just some of the impressive early results of a new initiative by Fylde Borough Council to encourage recycling.

Since the introduction of a new system, which encouraged residents to seperate recyclable and non-recyclable rubbish into seperate wheelie bins, recycling has almost trebled in the borough.

The twin bin initiative has seen residents save around a third of all household waste from the tip.

In total, 663 tonnes of paper have been recycled, along with 2,100 tonnes of compostable rubbish and 18 tonnes of textiles.

The council's principal officer for waste management, said: "We're delighted that so many people have shown a real commitment to recycling and we appreciate the considerable efforts from residents that are making this initiative a success.

"Only around 12 per cent of domestic waste is recycled nationally, so to see almost a third of waste in Fylde being recycled is a very positive sign.

"But we must continue to do all we can to meet ever changing Government targets and we're constantly looking at ways to drive further improvement.

"People have become much more familiar with the process and we have been working hard to iron out any difficulties.

"Our customer care advisers have been specially trained to deal with recycling enquiries and the council's new website has been updated to provide accurate information about our services.

"Most importantly, we are now sending much less rubbish to landfill, making our service more efficient and much better for the environment -- so in one way or another, everyone can benefit."