COUNCIL bosses have pledged to keep their door-to-door recycling service going after the firm which won the contract went out of business.

Blackburn with Darwen Council employees have been transferred from other departments within the authority to keep up with fortnightly waste paper recycling collections after Bury-based Swinnerton Bros folded.

They had been taken on by the council more than a year ago to run the new paper collection service designed to help reduce the amount of waste being put straight into landfill by making recycling easier.

In the last year, 1,403 tonnes of paper had been collected, but now the contract has gone in-house after Swinnerton closed.

Initially, Swinnerton closed the week before Christmas and a new company set up, which carried on the service.

However, last week, after taking legal advice, the council took over the service.

A spokesman for the council said: "After consultation with the council's legal department we decided to re-tender the collection service and we are now awaiting the return of those tenders. When these have been evaluated a new contract will be formed."

Councils need to reduce by up to 60 per cent the amount of waste they put in landfills if they are to avoid future European taxes.

Door-to-door recycling Is being heralded as one of the best ways of achieving this.

Now residents using the paper recycling scheme are being reminded to have their bags of paper out for collection by 7.30 am on their day of collection.

Since taking over the service, council officers have noticed some people are putting their bags out after the collection crews have visited

Residents are being asked to put all their newspapers, magazines, holiday brochures, catalogues and junk mail in to the special bags which are collected every fortnight.

Peter Hunt, director of direct services, said: "Although there are some areas where collection is poor, in others the scheme is working really well and hopefully this reminder will improve things."