THE green regime has received an overwhelming thumbs-up from residents in a corner of Kidderminster included in the first wave of the district's rubbish revolution.

All seven people the Shuttle/Times & News spoke to in a network of streets off Sutton Park Road supported the idea of sorting their waste paper, textiles, cans, plastic and bottles into two boxes collected weekly.

And most applauded Wyre Forest District Council's handling of the new scheme which will cover almost 90 per cent of households by February 2004.

Last year's recycling rate for domestic rubbish of just eight per cent needs to be upped to 18 per cent next year to start meeting tough Government targets.

To encourage people to take part in the kerbside scheme wheelie bins are now collected fortnightly as opposed to weekly and will not be emptied if they are overflowing. Additional bags will be ignored.

But the Kidderminster residents said people had to adapt to the scheme.

"Last week was the first week and I thought it seemed to go OK. I saw the binmen and they said there were no real teething problems," said retired Worcestershire County Council officer John Chammings, 71, of Northgate Close.

"I thought the information pack was excellent - if people go to the trouble of reading it there can't be a problem."

He added a "good half" of his rubbish is now recycled and it was "no hardship" his wheelie bin was emptied fortnightly and on a different day.

Police officer Stephen Taylor, 43, who has a family of four, also said about half his household's rubbish was now recycled but added it was too early to tell whether he would need his wheelie bin emptied more often.

"It's a good idea. It's more work but it's worth it," said Mr Taylor, of Northgate Close. "We've just got to change our way of thinking."

The only downside was wheelie bins start to smell after two weeks said Jane Youngjohns, 53, of Ludgate Avenue, who reckoned "perhaps half" her rubbish now went into the recycling boxes.

But she added: "It's for the good of the environment - and for our children and grandchildren."

Family man Cliff Pool - whose bin was overflowing - said not enough information had been provided on what was recyclable.

"It's an education process we're all going through and we need more education," said sales manager Mr Pool, 45, of Northgate Close.

He added: "My wife told me brown bottles were not recyclable. That's a bit of a surprise - I didn't read that anywhere."

Mr Pool estimated just 15 per cent of the waste his family-of-five produces was now recycled.

Retired chemist Kenneth Holker, 72, of Highgate Close praised the idea and the organisation but called for the scheme to be broadened to cover more materials. Harry Smith, 78, a former engineer of Southgate Close, also said it had been well explained.

A Northgate Close resident, who did not want to be named, said his expectation the system would be difficult had been confounded. "The more you do it the more you're enthusiastic about it," he said.