A UNIQUE experiment to test out the district's new recycling scheme got under way this week.

Four families selected by the Shuttle/Times and News have taken delivery of their recycling boxes and began the "Get Sorted!" test on Tuesday.

The families were chosen from dozens who volunteered to take part after an appeal in the newspaper earlier this year.

Their experiences are being closely monitored by Wyre Forest District Council, which is preparing to roll out its new kerbside recycling programme to every household over the next two years, starting in July.

The Bourne family from Stourport were among our first volunteers for the two-week experiment. the Bourne family from Stourport - clockwise from front: five-year-old India; Amalea, eight; Elysha, 10; dad Andrew with three-year-old Jazmine; mum Natalie with one-year-old Willow and Oliver, six.

Mum Natalie, husband Andrew and their six children, aged one to 10, are providing a stern test for the scheme.

"The older children are all really looking forward to helping sort out what goes where. They have been learning about the environment so do understand what's happening and that it is important," said Natalie.

"We recycle a little at the moment - it's difficult to find the time to sort everything out and get rid of it."

Retired vicar Canon Guy Smith and his wife Mary, from Areley Kings, plan to continue their personal recycling drive.

The couple only throw away about half a binbag of rubbish a week now, with the rest of their waste taken to existing recycling centres in the district. Guy and Mary Smith from Areley Kings.

"We recycle all our glass, tins, newspaper and garden rubbish and compost."

They lived in Heidelberg for four months while Mr Smith was a chaplain at the Anglican Church, and were able to experience Germany's much-vaunted doorstep recycling initiative first-hand.

Clare Palmer, her husband and two children, aged one and three, of Comberton, Kidderminster, volunteered to take part and helped launch the experiment. Clare Palmer and her two children, Sarah, one, and baby Louise, from Kidderminster. They already try to recycle paper and glass and also do some composting.

The final family is Shuttle/Times and News reporter Jane Abbott, her partner Richard and their two-year-old son Felix, of Kidderminster. Jane Abbott with son Felix, two, from Kidderminster.

"We do try to recycle but it's a bit haphazard - some weeks we recycle everything we can, the next I decide to spring-clean and throw everything in the bin," said Jane. "I'm confident a weekly collection will ensure we do our bit on a regular basis."

The district-wide scheme involves getting people to put all glass bottles, cans, newspaper, textiles, cardboard and some plastics in two plastic recycling boxes, with the remaining waste going in the wheelie-bin as usual.

The recycling boxes will be emptied weekly, while wheelie-bins will only be collected fortnightly, in a bid to dramatically improve on the district's recycling rate, which is currently just six per cent.

The three-week trial involved weighing the rubbish thrown in the wheelie-bin by each family last week, and comparing that to the amount thrown away during two "recycling" weeks.

The Shuttle/Times and News will be telling readers how our families fared over the next fortnight.