A NEW system of recycling and waste collection in West Devon is set to begin next month.

West Devon Borough Council says the new service should save £180,000 in its first year, rising to £260,000 the following year. Over the lifetime of the seven-year contract, £1.7-million should be saved over the current service.

The main difference in service is that recycling containers will be collected weekly — but residual waste which the borough cannot recycle will only be collected fortnightly.

Recycling will also extend throughout the whole borough. The new system is due to begin in the north of the borough from September 27 and in the south on October 18.

From these dates, householders will be able to recycle all plastic bottles in their green recycling bins, in addition to cardboard, tins and glass. Other materials which can be recycled using the green bins include textiles, batteries, mobile phones and spectacles.

New recycling boxes are being delivered throughout the borough, along with leaflets explaining when the system will begin and how it will work.

The food recycling system is also being extended throughout West Devon. The food waste will be collected weekly.

Additional garden waste bags are also being delivered to homes which have not been able to use the service up until now.

Helen Dobby, of West Devon Borough Council's environmental services department, said extensive consultation had taken place ahead of the changes, which would not just save money.

'There are also significant environmental benefits — 1,000 tons of waste will not be going into landfill a year as a result of the changes,' she said. 'At the moment we recycle 43% of our waste, with the new scheme, it should go up to 54%, which will reduce our landfill costs.'

Ms Dobby said that the £48 fee to landfill a tonne of waste was due to rise to £72 by 2013.

'We try and recycle locally as far as possible as well — the food waste is composted within West Devon, which is fantastic.'

It is hoped that recycling of plastic materials, to include items such as yoghurt pots and plastic food trays, will be increased as soon as it is cost-effective to do so.

Ms Dobby said because so much more waste will be recyclable using the kerb collection, there should be far less residual waste, hence the change to a fortnightly collection.

She said the council had consulted widely with other authorities running this type of scheme, and issues regarding odour did not appear to be a problem.

The environmental services department would be on hand to offer advice about storage of waste, but odour from refuse sacks could be minimised by secure containment and by washing out non-recycleable food containers.

Cllr Robert Sampson, chairman of the borough's environment committee, said: 'We are regularly asked by our householders to improve the amount of materials that can be recycled — particularly plastics — and we strongly believe this new service fits the bill.

'The new service allows for the majority of waste generated from the household to be collected weekly and recycled.

'We are extending the system borough-wide, so that all residents will now receive the same level of service.

'We will be achieving our landfill diversion and recycling targets and reaping the environmental benefits, while making considerable cost savings.'