ST HELENS Councils 'blue bag' waste paper kerbside collections are proving a big hit with residents.

Launched in March, the recycling initiative currently extends to half of the borough and will reach the remainder in the next few months.

Councillor Terry Hanley, Executive Member for Environmental Protection, said: "The people of St Helens deserve a pat on the back for their efforts in making the kerbside collection service a huge success. Putting material into landfill sites is expensive and wasteful, and the amount of materials collected for recycling needs to be substantially increased to meet Government targets."

In September alone 32 tonnes of waste -- the equivalent of about 15,000 bags of sugar -- was collected for recycling. For every tonne collected, the contractor donates £1 to Save The Children. Residents are urged to make sure that they do not miss out on their next collection which runs on a four-week cycle.

The scheme is one of several council initiatives aimed at reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. Others include home composting, increasing the number of recycling sites across the borough to 32 and the Christmas campaign which involves recycling cards and trees.

Further information about recycling is available from Grace Tatlock on 01744 456442.