WORTHY causes are better of to the tune of £1,000 - thanks to a scheme to encourage residents to recycle.

Durham-based Premier Waste Management has donated £1 for every tonne of Sedgefield Borough Council's waste it has recycled.

The company aims to use the donations as an incentive to encourage residents served by the Kerb-It service to help the environment.

Gary Whitehead, commercial director at the firm, said: "Each year, the average household produces one tonne of waste.

"Last year, Premier Waste Management recycled 4,608 tonnes of waste from Sedgefield alone.

"That is the equivalent of recycling all the waste from 4,608 homes and diverting it from landfill.

Lucy Hovvels, mayor of Sedgefield, said: "The charities that we have chosen to donate to will benefit immensely from our recycling efforts.

"We are extremely grateful to Premier for the donation.

"It is generosity like this that will help many children from our region and beyond."

The charities chosen are: Little Hands - a project in Kenya that has built and maintains a school - and The Learning Library, which is a charity that provides toys and learning equipment to children with special needs.