PEOPLE who recycle rubbish could be rewarded with a safari holiday worth £10,000 under a new scheme launched by Hyndburn Council.

Residents taking the time to separate their waste and put it out for collection could get the chance to take part in a scratch card game.

And prizes include the safari holiday plus family breaks to Center Parcs worth £1,000 each.

The scheme, aimed at encouraging even more people in the borough to recycle their household rubbish, was being launched today by the council and Lancashire Waste Partnership.

Every week the council will randomly select around 2,000 homes in Hyndburn. If they recycle their rubbish using the local kerbside collection scheme, they will be posted a scratch card.

The scheme will run until next March and all Hyndburn residents have to do to be in with a chance of winning is put their recyclable waste out in the boxes and bags on the normal recycling collection day.

Environment portfolio holder Coun Ann Scaife said: "Here in Hyndburn our residents have really got into the swing of recycling and have made sure that the borough's recycling figures are on target to hit a stunning 30per cent this year. The aim of this promotion is to get those people who are not participating regularly in the kerbside recycling scheme to get involved, and to also remind everybody to please recycle all possible waste.

"Just one extra bottle from each household in the borough equates to just under 10 tons of waste which could be diverted from our rapidly-filling landfill sites."

The council hopes the new scratch card will be as successful as its Waste Watching for Schools campaign, which allows parents to win points for their children's schools by recycling their rubbish.

These points can then be turned into equipment for the school.

The success of this scheme put Hyndburn Council on the short-list for a prestigious national recycling award.