RESIDENTS on Droitwich's Westlands estate are to be targeted in a bid to make the estate more environmentally friendly.

Westlands has the lowest recycling rate in the whole of the Wychavon district and also has a huge problem with litter.

Community leaders say they are fed up with the mess and have now set up a group specifically to look at ways of educating people and getting them involved in recycling initiatives.

"For some reason this estate does not recycle as much as anywhere else in the district," said district councillor and chairman of the Westlands Forum Roy Seabourne.

"As a result we are now looking into putting Government money into a door-knocking scheme on the estate to try and get more people to recycle."

Residents could also be asked to join in with an environment week being led by Westlands First School in April.

"It's all about educating the parents as well as the children," said headteacher Julie Millard. "Why not get the whole estate involved."

The estate is litter-picked daily by Wychavon District Council workers but residents say no sooner is it removed than more litter appears.

"We don't have a litter problem in school so we need to find out why children are dropping litter out of school," Mrs Millard added.

Solutions

The environment sub group, formed from members of the Westlands Forum, will now look at all the issues and come up with solutions, including working with housing associations, private residents and the council to target residents and improve the image of the estate.

"We can keep ploughing money into cleaning up the estate but if we don't educate people not to drop litter in the first place and to take up recycling, then what's the point?" said Worcestershire county councillor Pam Davey.