TRIPS to Huntingdonshire s bottle banks could soon be consigned to the recycling bin of history. As predicted by The Hunts Post two weeks ago, the district council s cabinet is expected today (Thursday) to back fortnightly kerbside glass collections, star

TRIPS to Huntingdonshire's bottle banks could soon be consigned to the recycling bin of history.

As predicted by The Hunts Post two weeks ago, the district council's cabinet is expected today (Thursday) to back fortnightly kerbside glass collections, starting in the week before Easter (Monday March 29).

The move - which HDC recycling officers have had in their sights for years - has been made possible by a new recycling contract the council is set to sign jointly with Fenland District Council and Cambridge City Council.

It means glass of all kinds - including bottles and jars - will be taken away with fortnightly blue bin and green box collections, along with paper, card, cans, many plastics and other dry recyclable materials.

Because the move was contemplated when the pattern of collections was revised two years ago, there will be no changes to the days on which the bins are emptied.

Collecting glass at the kerbside instead of in council and supermarket car parks should take the total weight of recycled material above 60 per cent of household waste over the year - keeping Huntingdonshire among the top handful of recycling areas in Britain.

At the height of summer, when green waste is abundant, the recycling rate could top 70 per cent during some months, HDC's head of operations Robert Ward believes.

Around six per cent of landfill (grey bin) waste by weight is currently made up of glass - mostly jars, which are not routinely taken to bottle banks by some residents - Mr Ward told The Hunts Post. If just half that glass were captured by the new system, Huntingdonshire should comfortably exceed 60 per cent recycling on average over the year.

The change will allow the district council to review what is collected at 'bring-sites', as it calls the mini-recycling centres - mainly in council and supermarket car parks - to which residents currently take bottles and newspapers. In future, they could be used for spent batteries, clothing and rags - most textiles can be re-used - and perhaps other materials not currently recycled in the community.

Where there are community-based facilities, parishes will continue, at least for the time being, to benefit from the recycling credits generated by local bring-sites.

Collecting glass at the kerbside will cut out a lot of trips to bring-sites, which will be environmentally beneficial, Mr Ward said.

"We will continue to work with anyone for whom the new arrangement presents difficulty," he added.