CELEBRITY Noel Edmonds is boxing clever with West Devon — by supporting the council's new weekly recycling challenge.

TV personality Noel and his family, who live in Jacobstowe, are among 21,500 households across the borough who are this week receiving new recycling boxes.

From Monday, November 19, West Devon Borough Council's recycling service switches from a fortnightly collection to weekly.

And the green recycling boxes — with fix-on lids — replace the previous system where residents were given plastics bags to collect their recyclables.

Recycling is nothing new to the Edmonds' family. 'We've been doing it for years,' said Noel. 'For a start, we have a dedicated recycling bin in our kitchen. It's very straightforward and I feel we are doing our bit towards protecting the environment.'

Arriving with the boxes will be a handy-sized A-Z recycling directory produced by independent charity West Devon Environmental Network (West DEN).

The directory gives information on everything from recycling ink cartridges to old mobile phones. Support for the directories has come from West Devon Borough Council and the Devon Action Fund.

The aim of the new weekly scheme is to try to collect as much material as possible that can be recycled in the most environmentally sustainable way.

West Devon currently recycles 15 per cent of all household waste — higher than the national average. The Government has set the borough a recycling target of 36 per cent by 2006.

The new recycling boxes will be cleared out every week on the same day that refuse is collected. Cans, newspapers, card, and, for the first time, glass, can all be put in the box for collection.

Cllr Richard Phillips, chairman of the council's waste reduction and recycling working group, said: 'Recycling has come a long way in West Devon and we are lucky to live in an area where people are so very willing to take part. I truly hope that this continues and we can all play our part towards saving the environment.'

If you would like any further details about the recycling boxes, contact West Devon Council's Client Services on 01822 813656.

For more information about the recycling directory contact Pat Mayston on 01822 614487, email [email protected]">[email protected] or click on to http://www.westden.co.uk">www.westden.co.uk