In her first week in office the new Mayor of Winchester, Cllr Cecily Sutton, has been binned. However, it was all in the cause of promoting recycling as the City Council launched its trial refuse collection scheme.

The Mayor was joined by Cllr. Jim Wagner, Winchester City Council's Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environmental Health, to drive home the message that we all need to be doing more about cutting down on waste and boosting our recycling efforts. In fact the Mayor decided to take an in-depth look at one of the brand new, green recycling bins that are being wheeled out in the pilot scheme, while Jim Wagner got to grips with the new Garden Waste collection.

"We can’t go on as we are," said The Mayor. "Everyone has to wake up to the problem of waste, and recycling and composting must become the norm if this country is not to disappear under a mountain of rubbish as the landfill sites run out. Many other countries have shown the way and now local authorities in the UK must catch up in the recycling stakes before it is too late."

The City Council is trialling a fortnightly collection scheme in which recyclables and garden waste are collected one week and refuse the other. Householders will be given bigger recycling bins if they need them and every home with a garden will be given a free re-useable Garden Waste sack.

The Council has also managed to negotiate a special deal on high quality compost bins, designed to get everyone into the composting habit. Householders in the trial area will be receiving more information during the coming weeks.

The trial begins in October and will cover Micheldever, Sutton Scotney, Wonston, South Wonston, Kingsworthy (part), Abbott’s Barton, Harestock (part), Littleton, Crawley, Sparsholt, Hursley and the Southdown area of Shawford/Otterbourne. Householders in the trial area will be consulted on their requirements this summer and the scheme will run for up to 18 months. During the trial residents will be asked for their views and the City will then decide whether to roll it out across the district.

The City has set up a special Wake Up to Waste Hotline on 01962 848412 to deal with enquiries from householders in the trial area and the Wake Up to Waste team can also be contacted on wakeuptowaste@winchester.gov.uk

The cost of the trial is supported by a grant awarded by DEFRA to Hampshire's Project Integra Partnership under the National Waste and Minimisation Recycling Fund. Its aim is to improve the amount and quality of materials collected for recycling across the county.

For further information about the trial scheme, please contact David Boardman on 01962 848477.