RESIDENTS in the Malvern Hills area can do their bit to help the environment by using the kerbside recycling scheme being launched on Monday (January 12).

The district council is asking residents on three of its collection rounds to sort recyclable material into coloured bags.

The areas affected are parts of West Malvern and Malvern Wells; Powick, Callow End, Rushwick, Leigh Sinton and Suckley; and Kempsey, Severn Stoke, Ripple, Upton and the Hanleys.

Council leader Tom Wells said: "Our New Year's resolution shall be that we'll reach high levels of recycling this year."

He said the trial rounds had been chosen carefully to cover a mixture of urban and rural areas, so that problems could be ironed out before the full scheme starts in April.

The Government has set a target for councils to recycle 18 per cent of household waste in 2004/5 but Coun Wells said he was confident that 20 to 25 per cent could be reached in the Malvern Hills district.

"It all depends on the public," he said. "This is an area where the council works with the public to achieve these figures. We can't do it by ourselves."

Special split-bodied freighters will collect the bags. The council is hiring three vehicles in order to launch the trial but its own fleet of seven recycling vehicles should arrive at the end of February.

Grants of £400,000 from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and £500,000 from Worcestershire County Council will fund most of the set-up costs.

Coun Wells said people should leave bags at the front of their property, to save time and money. He urged residents unable to do this to contact the customer service centre at Malvern Library to apply for an exemption.

Those wishing to recycle garden waste can buy a composting unit for a reduced price from the council, also by contacting the customer service centre on 01684 862151.

A similar scheme introduced by Herefordshire Council has been hailed a success, with the authority saying it is in line to meet Government recycling targets.