THOUSANDS more residents are to get the blues as town hall bosses try to improve the borough's recycling rate.

Over the next few weeks, a further 21,000 households - on top of the first 28,000 - will receive a blue wheelie bin in which to place glass, cans and plastic bottles.

Among those coming into the scheme is Bury Council leader John Byrne, who took delivery of his blue bin last week along with neighbours in Rochdale Old Road, Bury.

The large wheelie bin has been introduced as an improvement to the smaller black box, which will continue to be used by people on the first phase of the scheme.

The council says it is now possible to mechanically sort aluminium foil from cans, glass and plastic bottles, which means that aluminium foil can now be included in the black box or the blue bin.

Bury's recycling rate has risen from 5.6 per cent to 15 per cent in 18 months, and bosses hope the new bins will take that to 20 per cent.

Coun Byrne said: "I have waited with anticipation for the scheme to reach me and I hope to set an example by recycling as much of our household waste as possible. It is vital that everybody plays a role, however small, in creating a cleaner, safer and greener borough."