ABOUT 100 new jobs are being created by Lancashire County Council in a bid to make a trip to the tip a more pleasurable experience for residents.

The new jobs will be spread across Lancashire's 23 Household Waste Recycling Centres, of which 12 are in East Lancashire, and the staff will be expected to offer advice and help to people dropping rubbish off.

It is part of a package of measures being imposed by Lancashire County Council in bid a to get more people taking their waste to recycling centres, where rubbish is separated into different categories. From May 14, the centres will be open from 8am until 7pm, seven days a week.

They currently open from 9am-7pm in the summer, and 9-5pm in the winter.

It is hoped that move will lead to more people visiting before or after work and reduce congestion.

At least two extra staff will be on each site at any one time at the centres, which are run for the county council by SITA, formerly Lancashire Waste Services, based in Preston.

New recycling facilities are also being introduced. Plastic recycling will be available at all sites, while people can also dump electrical and electronic goods for recycling.

As well as sending material for recycling, green waste taken to the sites will continue to be composted and sold back to people on sites.

The aim is to reduce the amount of waste which has to be sent to landfill sites, where the council has to pay a tax for each tonne dumped. That tax is set to rise rapidly over the next few years.

A new permit scheme has been introduced to allow people with vans to use the household recycling centres.

Householders with questions about the improvements can call 0845 0500 957. It is hope the cost of opening the centres for longer and employing more people will be offset by the savings made from a reduced amount of landfill being dumped, therefore incurring less cost for the county council.