CHORLEY residents can waste not, want not -- with the help of their council.

Throughout October, Chorley Borough Council is supporting Going for Green's Waste theme month by helping those who want to clean up their local area.

Clean up equipment and information on the latest recycling methods is being offered by the council, Going for Green and Tidy Britain Group to individuals and groups interested in tidying up or recycling waste.

Going for Green is Britain's biggest environmental awareness campaign aimed at the general public.

It was formed after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and is backed by the Government and businesses.

Other campaigns linked to waste theme month include 'Slim your bin' -- which focuses on what people can do to reduce their waste before it goes in the bin, such as buying goods with less packaging -- and 'Bag for Life', which concentrates on re-using the same shopping bag instead of plastic ones provided by shops.

An information pack on the campaigns is available from the Gong for Green Hotline on 0800 783 7838.

A spokesman for Tidy Britain Group said: "Waste theme month is one of Going for Green's exciting theme month initiatives and focuses on reducing, re-using and recycling the waste we all produce.

"Much of the general waste we produce is recyclable, some is reusable.

"The most common form of waste disposal is landfill, which is a limited resource, so instead of just making sure we bin our rubbish, we now need to start recycling it more and more.

"The UK currently produces over 100 million tonnes of waste per year, most of which goes to landfill.

"At present only nine per cent of household waste is recycled, and the Government has set a target of 30 per cent by the year 2010."

Lancashire County Council is still gathering your comments on the proposed Waste Management Strategy.

For more details about the scheme, or to send in your views, write to Draft Municipal Waste Management Strategy, Lancashire County Council, Freepost PR844, Preston PR1 3BR.