JUBILANT environment bosses have revealed that Darlington is on course to meet Government recycling targets a year ahead of schedule.

The borough council had been set a stringent target of recycling 18 per cent of all household waste by the end of 2005/06.

But the authority announced yesterday that statistics for the first six months of the 2004/05 period indicated that it was already in line to achieve a figure of 19 per cent this year.

Officials also anticipate that a planned £750,000 upgrade of the Whessoe Road civic amenity site will push next year's figures beyond 25 per cent.

Council cabinet member for community protection Chris McEwan said: "The success of our kerbside recycling scheme has really boosted our recycling figures. Plans for the revamp of the civic amenity site will see it increase in size to allow better access to skips and it will also be able to handle more material for processing, so this will boost our figures still further."

Next week, canvassers will be visiting schools across the town to promote its recycling message further.

Teams will also be targeting areas of Darlington to host community events and talk to residents about their recycling habits, as well as offering advice and information.

Their work is part of a joint £450,000 Government-funded project covering Chester-le-Street, Durham City, Derwentside, Easington, Sedgefield, Wear Valley, Teesdale and Darlington.

Coun McEwan said: "We are already doing a great deal of work to encourage residents to recycle and much of that work is about trying to change behaviour so that people will get into the habit of recycling.

"Over the coming weeks the work carried out by the teams will certainly reinforce that message."

Darlington is the region's top recycler according to the latest Government league tables.

The tables indicate the levels of household waste recycled by all local authorities in England for the year 2002/3. Darlington is the region's best with a figure of 13 per cent of all household waste recycled.