A SUCCESSFUL scheme stopping 1,500 wheelie bins full of recycling from going to landfill has been launched at all household recycling centres (HRCs) across Gloucestershire.

The drive is part of Gloucestershire County Council and contractors Kier’s bid to reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill, which is better for the environment and saves money.

People taking rubbish to the HRCs will be asked if their bin bags can be sorted for extra recyclables, taking Gloucestershire a step closer to its aim of 70 per cent recycling by 2030.

So far the pilot scheme has saved over £5,000 from two sites after 36 tonnes of recyclable materials was sorted from 3,000 rubbish bags.

The most common recyclables were textiles and cardboard, with 13 and 17 tonnes respectively.

The scheme will be rolled-out to all HRCs by August 4.

The scheme is voluntary, with sorting requiring permission from the householder.

Residents are still urged to separate recyclables before they set off to the sites.

Councils are currently charged a landfill tax of £80 for every tonne of waste that goes to landfill.

In addition to this there is an operator's gate fee, which makes sending waste to landfill very expensive.

Kier’s business manager for Gloucestershire, Ian James, said: “Councils have tough recycling rates to meet and high charges to dispose of waste to landfill. Much of this could be recycled, saving thousands.

“We hope the scheme will not only get more people to recycle, but also remind residents that there are very few items that cannot be recycled at their HRC.”

Cllr Ray Theodoulou, cabinet member responsible for waste, said: “The county council is working hard to increase our recycling and I’m delighted that it will be rolled across all of our HRCs.

“Reaching 70 per cent recycling would make us one of the best in Europe. It’s a challenging aim and voluntary initiatives like this can help to achieve it”.