THE days of free plastic bin bags are numbered under new plans to shake up the way the district's waste is collected.

The council is looking at leasing wheelie bins for every household in the district which would have separate compartments for different types of waste.

It is hoped the new bins will encourage more people to recycle their waste and Green councillors have even suggested running a lottery with prizes for people who do their bit for the environment and recycle.

Other plans include small recycling sites situated in every neighbourhood which would help the local authority meet national recycling targets. Kerbside collection schemes are currently offered to select parts of the district but in some places the take up rate for the green boxes is very low.

But the council is keen to completely overhaul the waste collection system and environment chief, Cllr Mark Turner, said: "The thinking that we can just throw everything into a black bin bag has got to stop. People have got to get used to recycling, we've got to meet the targets and we want to improve the facilities to make it easier for people.

"The days of plastic bin bags are numbered and I don't see any need for them if we get the right bins. We're looking at wheelie bins and the cost of leasing them would be cheaper that the cost of providing free bin bags."

The county council is currently drawing up a waste management strategy to look at the mounting problem of waste collection and disposal across Lancashire.