EVERY household on the Felixstowe peninsula will be able to have a kerbside recycling service – thanks to a £364,000 government grant.Suffolk Coastal was one of just 26 out of 190 councils to succeed in winning its bid for cash from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

By Richard Cornwell

EVERY household on the Felixstowe peninsula will be able to have a kerbside recycling service – thanks to a £364,000 government grant.

Suffolk Coastal was one of just 26 out of 190 councils to succeed in winning its bid for cash from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

It will mean it can expand its "duo" vehicle fleet to help it meet its aim of a collection of domestic and recyclable material from all households in the district.

Each householder will also receive a container to make it easier to store and dispose of recycling waste such as bottles, cans and paper.

The money will also be used to extend the number of recycling sites in villages by siting small containers in a sympathetic way within screened enclosures. Participating town and parish councils, and community groups will continue to receive recycling credits – cask back which can be used for community projects.

Chris Slemmings, cabinet member for the environment, said "We are delighted that the Government has recognised our good record on recycling and has approved this extra funding to enable us to further improve our recycling service.

"In the near future every home in the district will be able to recycle from their own doorstep. This means that more people than ever will get into the recycling habit."

Suffolk Coastal residents have a good record for recycling as 13.55 per cent of household waste is reused.

The council's recycling team will be undertaking new initiatives to encourage even more people to get into the recycling habit to help meet the Government's statutory target of 24pc for 2003-04.

The district has a network of more than 130 recycling sites where materials such as paper, cardboard, textiles, food and drinks cans, aerosol cans and glass bottles and jars can be taken for recycling.

There are also three county council recycling and waste centres where all these materials plus green waste and plastic bottles can be taken.

Suffolk Coastal currently has kerbside collection schemes for paper for 80pc of the district's homes as well as collections of cans and textiles for about 40pc.

Its Coastal Ploughback scheme collects green garden and kitchen rubbish from households in Kesgrave and Leiston for composting to make a useful soil improver, which can be bought at the recycling and household waste centres at Foxhall, Carr Road Felixstowe and Lover's Lane Leiston.

WEBLINKS: www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/envhealth/recycleinfo/

www.defra.gov.uk