REFUSE collection and recycling is about to be given a shake-up in Bury.

Bury Council has been awarded more than £600,000 to set up a kerbside recycling scheme which will be one of the biggest in Britain.

The Government funding will lead to major changes in the way refuse is collected and disposed of in the town.

Cllr Stella Smith, Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: "Details of the kerbside scheme and how it may affect residents will be made available over the coming months.

"Essentially, however, refuse collection from around 28,000 households will consist of a 'Green Week' and a 'Residual' Week.

"On the 'Green Week', Bury Council will collect garden waste and raw food waste, while Greater Manchester Waste will collect cans, glass, paper and textiles."

She added: "On the following week's residual collection, our staff will take any materials that cannot be recycled under this scheme.

"This means that the single take-all refuse collection service will be replaced with one that allows around 50 per cent of the waste from 28,000 properties to be recycled."

Residents will be provided with a second wheeled bin for garden waste and raw fruit and vegetables, and a blue box for glass, cans and textiles. Recyclable paper will continue to be collected at the same time as the blue box.

The changes will also ensure that considerable amounts of materials are recycled rather than simply disposed of as general refuse.

Together, the planned improvements will enable Bury to meet and even surpass its statutory recycling targets and remove the threat of penalties being imposed upon it for failing to reduce the amount of waste currently sent to landfill.