Recycling – it's in the bag

More than 50,000 reusable garden sacks will be given away by recycling officers this spring – in a push to get residents to dispose of their garden waste properly.
Every year Hull residents together produce more than 20,000 tons of garden waste, including leaves, grass and hedge cuttings - which would stretch to London and back in a line of wheeled bins.
But the sacks - of which more than 100,000 were given away last year - are perfect for transporting such waste to the city's household waste recycling centres.
From there it's collected to make compost for farms.
And residents can make compost for their own gardens too - by using a home composter, in which they can recycle items such as fruit and vegetable peelings, egg shells, tea bags and even dust from your vacuum cleaner.
A limited number are still available free from the council.
"The people of Hull are really beginning to get the message about the importance of recycling," says Doug Sharp, sustainable waste development manager.
"And that's reflected in the recycling rate which has risen from 18 to 25 per cent in two years.
"That's largely as a result of people using their black boxes and blue bins - and this year we're hoping people will recycle more green waste too.
The target rate for recycling in Hull is 45 per cent by 2010.
If this is not achieved, the council could face heavy landfill taxes.

A brand-new household waste recycling centre opens in Amsterdam Road, Sutton Fields, this summer.
The other centres are at Wilmington, near Stoneferry roundabout, Burma Drive, off Marfleet Lane, and Wiltshire Road, Gipsyville.
The free garden sacks (maximum two per household) can be obtained at the recycling centres.
For a free home composter (one per household) call 0845 077 0757.