BOLTON'S efforts to recycle extra waste are being hampered by residents chucking more in their bins than ever.

Council officials revealed that last year 10,500 tons more waste went "green" and avoided being thown into landfill sites and tips.

But much of the improvement has been put down to a dramatic increase of 6,500 tons in the amount thrown away by households in the first place.

Bolton Council's recycling officer, Jim Cunliffe, blamed several factors on the increase, ranging from more homes being built in the area and an increase in single person households to the amount of packaging goods are sold in.

He said it was frustrating and urged consumers to complain to manufacturers about the amount of packaging being used.

The Government says that by 2005 Bolton should be recycling a quarter of household waste.

But Mr Cunliffe has admitted the town is "unlikely" to reach the target.

Last year 7.7pc of the borough's waste was recycled, an improvement of 0.5pc on the previous year.

But the Government now says that the borough cannot include in the figures the amount of household waste people compost at home, estimated to be about 2,500 tons a year, and so the town's official recycling figure now stands at just 5.95pc for last year.

At the moment almost all of the town's bin waste currently ends up in landfill sites.

But there will be a big change in October when all the waste will be converted into electricity by being burnt at Raikes Lane incinerator.

A new way of dealing with the waste will also mean 1,500 tons of steel cans will be extracted every year.

Waste bosses are also looking at the possibility of selling the resulting ash for use in the construction industry, which should boost the area's recycling figures.

Bolton Council is also extending the pilot scheme for its green box scheme until the end of the year before deciding whether it should be implemented borough-wide.

Last year 6,000 homes in Deane, Ladybridge, Lostock and Horwich were given plastic boxes to allow them to separate recyclable waste from their wheelie bin rubbish.

The success of the scheme has led it to be extended in Horwich and will be taken into Westhoughton in two weeks.