PRESTWICH residents are to become the first people in the borough to try out a new recycling and waste collection scheme.

From Tuesday (March 2), starting in Sedgley Park, Bury Council will launch its new phase of doorstep recycling which involves collecting residual waste which is not recyclable on an alternate weekly rota.

Residents have been issued with a black box for dry recyclables such as paper, glass, cans, plastic bottles and textiles.

This will be collected every two weeks, along with the household's brown bin that has been in operation since the summer for recycling garden waste.

The following week, and every alternate week, waste refuge collectors will collect non-recyclable, residual waste in the green or grey wheelie bins.

Canvassers from the council's operational services team have distributed leaflets to the 28,000 homes affected and delivering black boxes in time for the first collection.

After the launch the scheme will be extended each day to different parts of the borough. By the end of the month 14,000 homes will be affected with another 14,000 to follow.